Take A Chance On Us
by DopeyPixie
Summary: Story co-written with fanficgirl18. It takes place after the episode in which April leaves Matthew at the altar.
1. Chapter 1

Story co-written with fanficgirl18. It takes place after the episode in which April leaves Matthew at the altar.

* * *

''You still sure about this?'' Jackson asked as he pulled up to the small chapel at Lake Tahoe, remembering her doubts earlier that day.

"I don't know. Every time I get the least bit happy I start to think of what everyone is going to think. Not to mention the fact that your mother is going to murder me."

''Oh my God, my mother!'' The comment she had made, made him remember all the people that this rash decision they had made were going to affect. Not just his mother - not just both their families, but their colleagues, their friends, and most importantly Stephanie and Matthew.

"Yes Jackson, your mother. Damn it why do you have to be such a hopeless romantic? If it weren't for you I'd be married by now!"

''Don't you think that if you really wanted to marry him that you would have stayed there instead of running away with me?!'' He shot back.

"Yes.. But... I love you Jackson but I don't know if I can handle the pressure of everyone else hating me."

He could see the pain of the internal conflict she was having on her face and he took her hand in his, ''they won't hate you. Yes, they might be angry and won't understand the decision you made, but don't you think our love is more important than what they think?''

''Of course it is. We are a stronger force than Grey Sloan Memorial.''

''Yes we are,'' he told her with a smile. Before she could respond they got distracted by a couple running out of the chapel hand in hand, smiling as they headed back to their car. ''So... you ready?''

She was now beginning to cry. Her skin toned blush was beginning to smear. She leaned in to kiss him, ''as ready as I'll ever be.''

Avery smiled at her as he got out of the car, rushing to the other side to hold the door open for her, ''my beautiful bride,'' he told her with a grin as she got out of the car as well.

''My handsome husband.'' The two ran hand and hand up the stairs to the chapel.

They couldn't contain their laughter as they practically burst through the door. The marriage officiant from the previous wedding was still standing there, as if he had been expecting them and had waited for them.

* * *

As they headed out of the chapel they looked just like the couple before them had, not even trying to hide their excitement over this. It wasn't until they were both back in the car that it sank in what they had just done. ''We're married...'' Avery said quietly, as if he was trying savor that particular moment

"I know, I'm Mrs. Jackson Avery." She said. She smiled. Her eyes sparkled. She didn't want to ruin the moment. However she couldn't wait to get back to the hotel.

''Yes you are!'' He told her as he grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss before starting the engine.

''Jackson, let's do something crazy...''

He looked at her as he started to drive away, looking back and forth between the road and her the entire time, ''what do you want to do?'' He asked her.

''Get tattoos,'' she said slyly. She moved closer to him and kissed his cheek.

''Tattoos?!'' He asked her and couldn't hide his shock. A doctor with tattoos, that was... pretty much unheard of. Despite his shock he knew that in his current of euphoria he wasn't going to deny April anything, especially not after she had run out of her own wedding to be with him.

''Yes tattoos, don't sound so shocked; doctors are human too. Besides it'll be another little secret. Our secret,'' she whispered in his ear.

''Okay,'' he said, hoping she couldn't hear the doubt in his voice, ''any ideas on what we could get?''

''Wedding bands...''

''Wedding bands?'' He repeated. He usually wasn't particularly fond of tattoos but he liked this idea. It would be as permanent as their love for each other.

''Yeah, we aren't going to be able to wear our wedding bands around the hospital, at least not yet. This way we'll always have them on. Even when we don't.''

''Aren't you worried about the people at the hospital seeing our tattoos before we're ready to tell them?'' He asked her with a frown.

''No. Screw what people see and think. It's us against the world Avery.''

He nodded in agreement as she showed him her biggest most contagious smile, ''lets do this,'' he told her as he turned the car around.

''Really?'' She squealed. She then cleared her throat, ''I mean drive, okay? Hit the gas!''

* * *

"You know maybe we shouldn't do this.. I think I was just in the heat of the moment um can we go back to the car now?'' April clung to Jackson's arm in nervousness.

Jackson looked over at her as the flood of unfamiliar sounds filled his ears. He had talked himself into doing this the entire car ride there. ''Come on, it was your idea and it'll be great. Something that'll bind us together for forever opposed to these rings which you can take off whenever you want,'' he told her.

"Come on. Let's just go. Besides there are more productive things we could be doing." She winked at him hoping to get a pleasant reaction.

''That can wait,'' he told her, hoping it didn't sound like he wasn't interested. ''This will be fun and even if some people will consider it a bit cheesy, it'll show how committed we are to each other,'' he could see the doubt in her eyes. ''What can I say to convince you this is a good idea?'' Jackson asked as he watched her look around the small, dark tattoo shop, ''how did you even come up with this in the first place?''

"Say that we won't end up like all of the marriage causalities of the hospital-''

''We won't,'' he answered, knowing that just those two simple words wouldn't be enough. ''I agree, the amount of divorces these day is... astonishing, to say the least, but no matter what has happened since I met you; I've always loved you. Even when we weren't together and were with other people, you still had my heart. And when I look into your eyes and you look back into mine I know that you feel the same way.''

''Ugh, there you go again. You know I feel the same way. Alright Romeo, let's do this.''

He could feel a grin spread across his face and it wasn't long before she smiled back at him, ''let's do this!'' Jackson repeated before approaching one of the tattoo artists.

* * *

"Jackson what the hell were we thinking? This hurts!'' The tattoo machine was going at full speed and tears were running her eyes.

Jackson quickly sat down in a chair next to her, taking her right hand in his as the tattoo artist continued working. ''Just look at me, try not to focus too much on the pain,'' he told her. He had had to comfort many patients over the years, however, seeing his wife in this much pain made the job quite a bit harder. ''April,'' he said as he noticed she was looking at her left hand, ''just keep looking at me.''

"Jackson I'm not your patient please just shut up." She shut her eyes tighter. Maybe if she just tuned everything out the pain would go away.

He let out a small sigh as he sat back, ''would it make you feel any better to know that as soon as he's done with you I'm next?'' He asked, knowing that because of - mostly - his decision, she was now in this pain, that must feel like payback of some kind.

"Jackson I swear if you say one more word you're sleeping alone for a week."

He bit his lip as he watched her in silence. It was hard to keep silent because now the she was finally his he just wanted to shout it from the rooftops - and if he couldn't do that, he at least wanted to be able to comfort her while she was in pain. So that was just what he did: comfort her while making sure he didn't say another word. He held her right hand a little tighter as she squeezed it, and he simply just watched her. That's how he waited patiently until the tattoo artist finally he announced he was done.

"It's gorgeous. I love it. " April gazed her finger and then at her husband. "I'm sorry babe, is there any way I can make it up to you ?"

''Ehm be there while I go through something that's apparently hell,'' he told her with a half smile, feeling a lot more nervous now that he was about to get his own wedding ring tattood.

"Deal "

* * *

He held their key in his one hand and the very little luggage he still hadn't taken out of the car before they left in the other as they made their way down the hallway to their room. He wouldn't admit it but he felt just the slightest bit nervous and he wasn't sure why. It could be because it had been so long since he had spent the night with April, it could be because she was now his wife and he wanted it to be great for her. The third - and very likely - reason for his problem could be that just two nights ago he had been laying in bed with Stephanie, making love to her. ''And now I'm thinking about my ex-girlfriend,'' he whispered to himself and shook his head, trying to 'shake' Stephanie out of his mind, knowing April didn't notice when he looked over at her.

"Hey you okay? You've been quiet ever since we left the shop," she was wondering if he was nervous. She had been laying the seductiveness on pretty thick. She just wanted him to know she was ready.

He wasn't surprised she had noticed he was nervous, for her he was nothing but an open book that only she would ever be able to read. He just had hope that she didn't know why he was nervous - knowing it would not exactly be a turn on for her. ''Yeah, I'm okay,'' he told her as he put down the bag and pushed the key in the locket, opening the door to one of the beautiful honeymoon suits the hotel had. He quickly threw the bag inside and turned to April, ''I know today did not exactly go as planned and there was nothing traditional about it,'' he told her as he quickly glanced down at their newly tattooed ring fingers, ''but we could still have some tradition: will you allow me to carry you over the threshold?''

She giggled. "Of courses I will."

He smiled at her as he quickly scooped her up into his arms with ease and carried her into the room - admiring how beautiful she looked in her dress at the same time, ''what do you think of the room?'' He asked her as he laid her down on the bed.

"It's beautiful. How on earth did you book this on such short notice?" The room looked amazing. Rose petals were placed everywhere and the room was bigger than both of their apartments combined.

''I pulled a few strings over the phone during one of our bathroom breaks on our way to the chapel,'' he told her as he laid down next to her and kissed her nose. ''I didn't know it would look this amazing though,'' he continued, admiring the room as well. Honestly, when he had called earlier that day he hadn't even gotten confirmation that the suite would be ready for them in time, the fact that it was, was just one more thing that made him feel like the luckiest man alive that weekend - and, as long as April was in it, maybe for the rest of his life.

"Jackson you're truly amazing," April then kissed his forehead.

''And you're wonderful,'' he replied, bringing her left hand up to his lips and kissing it softly while gazing into her eyes, wishing that moment would never end.

* * *

He was awakened by the sun shining bright in his eyes. He didn't mind though . He felt refreshed and on cloud 9. He couldn't believe he had gotten everything he could have possibly dreamed of in just 24 hours. He smiled as he felt April wiggling next to him in bed.

She looked up at him sleepily and smiled as he kissed her nose, ''good morning,'' she told him and could feel the butterflies in her stomach just by looking at him.

"Good morning,'' he said as he buried his face in her soft skin. ''Are you well rested?"

''Very well rested,'' she responded. ''I don't think I've slept this well since the last time I slept in your arms. I wish we could always sleep like this,'' she added as she laid her head on his chest.

"Me too, but soon we've got to get back to the reality. It sucks because I swear for a while it might be hell."

''Ugh I know. I wonder how long we'll have to wait until all the comments stop and we can break the news that we got married,'' April said. Looking down at her hand she let out a small sigh, ''I just hope that it is before anybody notices these,'' she added before grabbing his left hand as well.

Yes, I know. We'll just have to keep it under the radar Dr. Kepner." He hated calling her that.

She grinned at him, seeing the look on his face when he had said that made it very clear how he felt about their current 'situation'. ''Yes we do, Dr. Avery,'' she answered and she knew the look on her face - despite the fact that she had managed to keep somewhat of a straight face compared to him - showed that she hated the formality they had to use as well.

"However, until then you are all mine April Avery.'' He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. ''I vote that we make it last a little longer." He grinned seductively

''You have my vote as well,'' she said before kissing him back and rolling on top of him.

* * *

April reflected back on the day before as she opened the passenger door to the car and got in. Just yesterday morning she had been so ready to marry Matthew, and now she was married to Jackson, ready to start his life with him. As they both fastened their seat belts she looked over at him with a smile, ''ready to go home?''

"Yep as ready as I'll ever be my love." Jackson put on his sun glasses and then pecked April on the cheek.

''So have you thought about how we're going to break the news to everyone?'' April asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I guess it'll happen when the time is right."

''Yeah, I guess so,'' April replied. ''Don't you think we should tell your family though? Like right after we get back?''

"Eventually but my mother won't be so inviting . Don't you want to keep it a secret just a bit longer? It could be fun."

''We could be each other's little secret,'' April grinned at the idea. ''I feel like we're teenagers, sneaking around... It will be fun!''

"And hot!" Jackson added.

''Definitely!'' April said, feeling excited by the idea. She thought about what her plans for the rest of her life had looked like the day before yesterday; not only were they changed, they just got a million times better!

"Let's hit the road Mrs. Avery. Time to start the rest of our lives!"

* * *

Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

"Happy 6 week anniversary Mr. Avery" April kissed Jackson's chest as she lay in bed beside him.

"Same to you, Mrs. Avery," Jackson responded with a smile, after all those weeks he still loved them calling each other that.

"What do you say we call in sick and have some fun?" April was not the least bit anxious or shy about showing her husband affection anymore

"Sounds great," Avery told her but hesitating to tell her the reason why _he_ wanted to call in sick. "I'm afraid the fun times will have to wait a little while though..."

April shot up from the bed. Her frizzy red hair was a complete mess. "Jackson what aren't you telling me?"

Jackson took a deep breath as he looked at his wife; "my mom-" was all he managed to get out before April interrupted him.

"Damn it Jackson it's our six week anniversary. How are we supposed to act now? Ignore each other in the hallway? What about celebrating us? Now your mom and Stephanie are going to kill me?"

"Honey relax, we've been hiding the fact that we're together for six weeks, and we can just continue that today. We'll just try not to cross paths in the hallway and then tonight when she's with Richard," he stopped talking for a second as he shuddered at the thought of his mother dating the chief, "we can celebrate our six weeks anniversary." He took a deep breath, hoping his wife would agree with this strategy.

"You promise? And you'll promise to protect me if your mom talks about me?"

"Don't I always?" Jackson asked with a smile before giving her a kiss.

"You're so lucky you're cute!" April said with a smirk before pulling Jackson in for a longer kiss.

* * *

"I promise that it'll just be a few more minutes until she leaves, and then we'll have all night to spend together," Jackson told April quietly, hoping nobody would overhear them talking.

"Yeah but we're both on call what if we don't get to have any alone time?"

"We can still say that we're sick," Jackson said, remembering April's plan from that morning. "That way we could spend tomorrow together as well."

"That's not a bad idea. But you know we haven't had a lot of secret hospital time." April leaned in to kiss Jackson but just as their lips were about to touch she heard the sound that she was beginning to despise: the beeping of a pager.

Jackson sighed before looking around to make sure that nobody was paying attention to them, "how about you message me after you've taken care of that and I can meet you in one of the on-call rooms?" He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

" Alright. Deal. I'll be back as soon as I can." She pecked him on the cheek before dashing off to the ER.

Jackson looked after her as she left; now all he had to do was make sure his mother would leave him alone for the rest of the day.

* * *

April was in one of the on call rooms. She hurriedly texted Jackson: _'All done with my emergency now want to come play doctor with me?'_ April couldn't help but smile as she pressed send.

Jackson looked up at Catherine who was standing a few feet away from him, _'give me a minute.'_ He quickly texted back. "Mom?" He asked, trying to get the woman's attention, "I have to go help one of my colleagues with a patient so I have to go, but maybe we can have lunch tomorrow?" He asked, hoping that she'd buy it.

"But I thought we could go grab an early dinner and go catch a movie. Like we used to when you use to come home from school on the weekends? "

Jackson could hear his phone buzzing in his pocket as he tried to think of how to get out of this, he knew he couldn't let April down again. He took his phone out of his pocket, "I know you want to spend time with me and I would love to, but they really need me in the ER," he said, trying to make it sound convincing.

"Alright. I guess I'll go find Richard but how about I bring some Chinese food over to the apartment a little bit later? " She didn't want to hear him object so she spoke up quickly. "Great! Oh, and Jackson? I love you!"

Jackson could feel a bit of panic rise inside him at the prospect of his mother coming over to his and April's apartment for dinner. When he didn't respond his mother gave him a look, "I love you too," he replied.

* * *

"Where have you been stranger?" April ran to Jackson and eagerly jumped into his arms.

As Avery held her close he tried to think of a sensitive way to break the news, "was talking to my mom and it took me a few moments to get her off my back," he replied, hesitating to tell her more.

"Here we go again." April wiggled in his arm as a signal for him to put her down.

As Avery put her back down he gave her a slight smile, "she has invited herself over for dinner at our apartment," he told her and held his breath as he waited for her to respond, knowing she wouldn't take it well.

"How wonderful. And is she staying the night as well? Let me guess: she'll be sleeping on the couch a few feet away from the bedroom that I'm obviously not going to be able to sleep in or let alone anything else tonight?"

Avery bit his lip, "you'll have to hide while she's at the apartment, but afterwards I'll drop her off at Richard's and then we can have some fun time," he said smiling as he began to kiss her neck, hoping that she wouldn't be able to resist his plan if he seduced her.

"Don't you dare! " I'm not about to hide in my own house Jackson. I'll tell you what? I'm staying the night at Callie and Arizona's. You have fun with your mom tonight okay? And news flash you might want to zip up your pants. "

Avery glanced down and quickly zipped them back up, not remembering unzipping them, "honey..." He began as she headed for the door. He put his hand on it, preventing her from opening it and leaving him there, "we agreed that we were going to keep our relationship a secret so I cannot just tell her I can't have dinner with her or she'll get suspicious... We can celebrate as soon as I've dropped her off," he told his wife as he put a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

"I don't feel much like celebrating being your little secret. I'm your wife! Or did you forget that? I'm going to go get things out of my locker. I'll be at Callie's, " April was now about to cry. She didn't want to it in front of him. She removed his hand from the door and stormed out.

* * *

Jackson could hear his mother talking, reminiscing about his childhood, but all he could think about was his phone in his pocket as he waited for April to respond to the numerous texts he had send her. He'd been excusing himself to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes for the past hour to send her messages, trying to make things right between them. When he heard his mother say his name he tried to focus on her again, "sorry, what did you say?" He asked.

"Baby, are you feeling alright? You seem very distracted are you sick? Maybe it was that Chinese food."

"I'm okay," he told her a little too quickly to sound believable. As it sunk in what he could do if she thought he was sick he quickly added: "I mean, the food was fine, but I have had a bit of a headache all day so maybe you should go over to Richard's and I'll get some rest?" He suggested.

"Nah Richard and I had a fight about the Harper Avery nomination. Clearly he didn't see my point of view but I'm going to give him a chance to cool down. Hey, I brought a couple movies over. Want to watch?" Catherine kissed Jackson on the cheek and squeezed him.

* * *

"April" Callie screamed for the 15th time. "Are you feeding Sophia or is she feeding you?" Callie couldn't help but notice the peas and carrots all over the kitchen table.

April snapped out of her daze at the sound of the other woman's voice. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at the toddler and only just now noticed the mess she had made while trying to feed the little girl. She could feel Callie looking at her and let out a sigh, "I'll clean it up," she responded, not looking back at her.

"Gosh April. Go home! I know you don't want to be here right now. If Arizona was at home waiting on me I wouldn't want to be here!"

April could feel her phone buzzing as she got another message from Avery. She was still mad but Callie was right, she did want to be with him despite her anger. "I guess you're right," she said.

"Hold on, before you go..." Callie excitedly ran to her room. She reappeared holding a sleek black outfit that showed way too much cleavage. "This was something I bought for Arizona that she doesn't wear anymore. What do you say we get you looking hot?"

April hesitated as she eyed the outfit, "I don't know," she responded, feeling self conscious all of a sudden.

"April you're beautiful. Trust me; Jackson knows that and once he gets a look at you... " Callie smiled knowingly, not feeling the need to say anything else...

April smiled at the sincere compliment. Pushing all her insecurities to the back of her mind she looked back from the outfit to Callie, "okay," she said, giving in.

* * *

"Mom you really don't need to stay here. I've been sick by myself before and I can take care of myself," Jackson told his mother who kept insisting that she'd take care of him. He was already regretting telling her that lie but glad that he hadn't been able to convince April to stay hiding in their apartment during his mother's visit. She was already angry enough.

"Nonsense. I'll stay here as long as you need me to. I can't have my baby sick."

Avery didn't know what to say, he appreciated her wanting to take care of him, it just happened to be unnecessary and the timing was just terrible. "I don't need you to," he told her. "And wouldn't you rather spend time with Richard?"

"No man is more important than my son."

Jackson let out an inaudible sigh, aside from the fact that Catherine staying at their house would only upset his wife further, there was also the risk that his mom would find out he wasn't really sick, "how about a compromise?" He asked, "you can stay a little while longer and then you leave?" He suggested.

* * *

April eagerly waited outside the apartment door in the hallway. She was so nervous. She felt like someone that she wasn't but in this case she guessed it was a good thing. She took a deep breath and texted Jackson. "Hey Mr. Avery want to come open the door?"

"It's like you want me to leave," Jackson heard his mom say as she walked out of his and April's bedroom.  
He had been able to hide most of her stuff pretty well and he could only hope that Catherine wouldn't use their bedroom or he'd be screwed. Hearing his phone buzz he picked it up, reading April's message he smiled in relief; apparently she wasn't that mad anymore. Since his mom would be in the kitchen for a while - making him chicken soup - he could easily sneak out into the hallway and explain the situation to April. As he walked down the hallway he hoped his mom wouldn't hear him. He opened the door and his jaw dropped when he saw April in what could easily be described as the most sexy outfit he had ever seen her in.

"Jackson, do you want-" he could hear him mom's voice behind him.

Catherine's jaw dropped as she saw April standing in the doorway in an outfit that didn't leave much to the imagination. She looked back and forth between her son and April, not knowing what to say.

"Oh my god!" April couldn't believe this. What the hell? "Hi Ms. Avery." April said, her voice shaking.

Avery kept his eyes on his mother as he reached behind him to grab a coat and handed it to April, "mom, you remember April?" He asked her, knowing she would.

"Yes I do," Catherine responded, she kept her eyes on the red head for a few moments before looking back at her son. "Is there something you want to tell me?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Ms. Avery I was just um here to see Jackson I didn't know-"

Jackson quickly interrupted her. "I think she deserves to know the truth," Jackson told April as he glanced over at her.

"And what exactly is the truth?" Catherine asked them both, "that the reason you don't have a girlfriend is because you're sleeping with your co-workers?"

"Mom!" He said, stopping her from going on and possibly insulting April. He looked back at April and grabbed her hand before facing his mother, "the reason I don't have a girlfriend is because I have an amazing wife," he told her.

April nervously bit her lip. "I know this isn't the best familial first impression but I love your son more than anything." She eventually spoke up.

Catherine looked back and forth between the two. She had never been a big fan of April but even she could see how much her son loved the woman in question as he stared at her, completely in love.

"And I love her too," Jackson told his mother. "We got married a couple of weeks ago but we weren't ready to tell anyone yet," he explained. "But it's time you know; I'm married to her and I'd do anything for her." He said.

"I don't know what to say," Catherine replied, not remembering the last time she'd been caught off guard like this. "I guess congratulations are in order," she told them - trying her best to look happy for them but it was not very convincing.

"Ms. Avery I appreciate you trying to accept this but I think the truth is clear. Excuse me." April then ran to the bedroom.

Jackson rushed after her only to have the door slammed in his face; looking back at his mom he shook his head, "can't you at least pretend to be happy for us?" He asked her as he knocked on the bathroom door, hoping April would let him in and allow him to comfort her.

"I just congratulated you!" Catherine told him - giving him a look that said 'what else do you want from me'.

"Anybody can see through that," Jackson told her. "I know she's not exactly your favorite person in this world but she's my wife and I will not allow you to treat her like that," he said.

Catherine remained quiet as she looked at him.

"Is it too much to ask that you spend time with her, get to know her and treat her the way you should treat your daughter-in-law?" He asked her.

Catherine cringed a bit at the word 'daughter'. "Is that you want from me?" She asked him.

"I want you to apologize to her now and those other things tomorrow," Jackson told her. He felt nervous, knowing how stubborn his mom was but also knowing how much she loved him... This could go either way.

Catherine took a deep breath before walking over the bathroom door, "April?" She asked as she knocked.

April was locked in the room. She didn't want Jackson to see that she was packing. It broke her heart. Jackson had been her everything. God had blessed her so abundantly but she knew she could not compete with Catharine Avery. Not by a long shot. "Jackson I really don't want to do this now." She yelled at the person at the door, unaware of who it truly was.

"April it's Catherine!" Catherine said again, a lot louder this time. She heard some rumbling on the other side of the door and frowned as she wondered what her son's... wife, was doing.

"Oh," April wiped her eyes and hesitantly opened the door. "Yes?" She asked trying to hold back more tears.

Avery could hear that she had been crying but knew that it was time for his mother to finally step up.

Catherine glanced over at her son before looking back at the young woman in front of her, "is it okay if I come in? I would like for us to talk in private for a moment."

"Yeah... I guess. Come in."

As Catherine walked in and closed the door behind her she took a deep breath, how was she going to give a sincere apology and genuinely congratulate the woman when she didn't even like her? "My son loves you very much," she began, ignoring the tears in the other woman's eyes. "He has pointed out to me that I might have prejudged you, and that I don't know you that well," she added. "I would like to say I'm sorry for the way I behaved a few minutes ago and I would like to congratulate you on your wedding."

"Thank you," April said shyly. "I know that I'm not the ideal person that you envisioned with your son but I-"

Catherine interrupted her, "nobody could ever be the ideal person I imagined Jackson to end up with. The truth is that if it hadn't been you he'd married, I'd be this way to the other woman. Just like you I love him very much and I wanted to keep him for myself. But that's not fair, not to him and definitely not to you," Catherine said. "I have to start respecting his decision and give you a fair chance, which brings me to the next order of business; I'd like to have lunch with you."

"I'd love that. And maybe I can take you on my rounds. If you don't mind observing?" April now was beginning to smile.

"Don't push it sweetheart," Catherine told her.

"Right. Lunch is a good first step." April agreed nervously. "I'd love to spend as much time as possible with you but I think I owe my husband an apology for being an emotional wreck today." April said meekly, hoping that Catherine wasn't offended.

"That's okay dear, since you two got married I suppose we have all the time in the world to get to know each other. And I'm sure Jackson will forgive you in an instant, he loves you too much not to," Catherine said.

April smiled at Catherine as she left the room and motioned for Jackson to come in...

Avery stood up nervously, hoping his mom hadn't made matters worse.

Catherine smiled, "we are having lunch together tomorrow, just the two of us," she said, looking over at April.

Jackson put an arm around April and smiled, "I'm glad." He said.

"I think it's time for me to head over to Richard's, leave you two kids be," Catherine told them as she grabbed her coat of the rack.

"Bye Ms. Avery," April said as she put her arms around Jackson's waste.

"Goodnight mom," Jackson said as he watched his mother open the door and step out.

"Goodnight," Catherine responded before walking out and closing the door behind her. The night had turned a lot different from how she had expected, and though she didn't like surprises she could that this might not be such a bad one.

Inside the apartment Avery looked down at this wife, "if I remember correctly you are wearing something very interesting underneath that coat," he said with a grin.

"I don't remember that, do you think you could... I don't know, take the coat off of me and find out?" April asked trying her hardest to keep straight face.

Jackson's grin faded as he now tried to keep a straight face as well, "of course," he replied, pulling on the sash of the dark trench coat. Watching it pool at his wife's feet he looked her body up and down with an appreciative smile.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

Stephanie might not be very likeable in this chapter - but it's understandable..

* * *

"Jackson did you move my straightener?" April was tearing through the bathroom cabinets like a mad woman. "Jackson?!" She yelled again.

Hearing his wife yelling something at him from the other room, but not being able to hear it, Avery decided to go check on her. He knew April had been nervous about the lunch with his mother today and the least he felt he could do was help her. ''What is it?'' He asked her as he walked into the bathroom.

"What did you do with my hair straightener dear?" April was trying to keep calm.

''Didn't you just leave it in one of the cabinets?'' Jackson asked her - having no idea where it might be.

"Yes, but yesterday when you took me out for a late dinner you insisted that I straighten my hair remember? "April stormed out of the bathroom and began rummaging through their walk in closet.

As he watched April storm away from him Avery went over the events from the night before in his head. He had watched her get ready and he had seen her put the hair straightener... ''Weren't you using that thing while I was eating crackers in the kitchen?'' He asked her - he was really trying to help but knew that if he said something wrong it might make her mad.

"I don't know Jackson! I really have no clue! I guess I'll just go to lunch with your mom looking like a frizzy haired freak!" She now sat on the closet floor with her head down in frustration.

Avery squatted down next to her, putting a hand on her back, ''even with frizzy hair you'll still be more beautiful than any other woman in the cafeteria,'' he told her, trying to comfort her.

"Babe, I appreciate the compliment. I just want everything to go perfect. I think I'm just going to head to work early. Maybe someone has a straightener." She stood up to leave be before Avery stopped her.

Hearing the tone of her voice, Avery pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead, ''I'm sure it's around here somewhere, if we both start looking I'm sure we'll find it,'' he told her.

"Jackson stop. I know what you are trying to do and it's not going to work." She gave him a peck on the lips. "Besides, I have to go, I'm covering for Arizona today. I owe Callie a big favor." She winked at Jackson before standing back up.

Avery frowned as he watched her walk away to the front door. ''What favor?'' He asked himself confused.

* * *

Catherine looked at her daughter-in-law, unsure of what to say. They had been sitting in the cafeteria for about 10 minutes now and most of that had been filled with silences, neither one of them knowing the other that well. She cleared her throat, ''so how do you like working here?'' She asked.

"It was a little rough at first. Still is sometimes. A lot of people aren't very accepting of my faith. "April squirmed in her seat nervously.

Catherine gave her a smile, ''I guess it's not as common for doctors - or scientists in general - to be religious,'' she responded. She herself wasn't particularly religious either.

"I understand that. But my faith is really important to me and I wish some people could at least be tolerant if that." April took a bite of her fruit salad.

''If they don't know how to tolerate it, maybe they just don't understand it,'' Catherine told her. ''Just don't let that question your faith.''

"That's very sweet Ms. Avery thank you."

Catherine gave her a smile in response. ''So... I didn't get a chance to ask last night, but how did you and Jackson get to the decision to get married?'' She asked.

April now was beginning to turn red. "Haha. Um that's a bit of a funny story." April bit her lip. "He actually proposed to me after my wedding... "

Catherine looked up from her food with one eyebrow raised, ''excuse me?'' She asked, thinking she misheard the other woman.

April was now terrified. "Well, my fiancée Matthew and I were standing at the altar and right before I could object Jackson interrupted the wedding. He told me that he loved me and asked me if I loved him too. I know that it was the wrong way to go about it, but all my life I've been doing what others have wanted me to. The truth was I was madly in love with Jackson. This time I had to do what was right for me. So we ran off and eloped a few hours later." April took a deep breath and said a silent prayer.

Catherine's jaw was now dropped as she took in what April told her. ''That's quite the story,'' she said after a moment of hesitation. "I can't say that I'm too surprised though; Jackson always goes after what he wants.''

"And from now in I intend to go after what I want." April smiled confidently.

''That's good,'' Catherine smiled.

* * *

As Stephanie walked into the on-call room she saw April sitting at the table with her back to the door. She could hear the redhead talking to someone on the phone and rolled her eyes at what she heard her say. From what she could tell April was flirting with a boyfriend or something and Stephanie couldn't help but be pissed off; the girl had stolen her boyfriend and now she was hitting on some guy on the phone?

"Babe I'm telling you it was so awkward I had no idea what to say. You should have seen her face when I told her about the proposal.''

Stephanie stopped dead in her tracks, ''proposal?'' She quietly muttered to herself. Just weeks after leaving her ex at the altar she's already engaged to somebody else? Her jaw was dropped in disbelief.

_''So far at least she seems accepting of our relationship, so that's good_,'' Jackson responded on the other end of the line.

"And I'm grateful for that. I just wished she liked me and didn't think of me as the gold digger who married her son on a whim.''

'Ugh, not just another guy but a rich guy,' Stephanie thought as she leaned against the door post, the door was closed behind her. 'How does she get to be so lucky?' It took another few seconds for the rest of the words to sink in, 'wait... MARRIED?!' She thought in disbelief. Who was this guy?

''I'm sure she trusts my instincts better than that,'' Jackson joked.

"I know she does. I miss you Avery, I just want to come home. Today sucks."

''AVERY?!'' Stephanie yelled at April. ''You married Jackson?!''

Finally noticing the other person in the room, April turned around surprised. "Jackson I got to go!" April stood up and tried to look confident. "Stephanie! What are you doing in here?" She yelled back. She looked Stephanie directly in the eye. She wasn't going to back down; she loved Jackson and she would do anything to protect their private relationship. "Are you eavesdropping?!"

Stephanie completely disregarded everything April had responded. ''You married Jackson? It wasn't enough to humiliate me by having him leave me for you, but you decided to marry him as well?'' Stephanie asked - her voice was high because of how angry she was.

"We weren't prepared to tell anyone just yet. But yes, we did. Look Stephanie I'm sorry. I had no idea he was going to do that. We never meant to intentionally hurt you."

''Really? Cause you seem to be doing a pretty good job at it!'' Stephanie said. She had felt ashamed, humiliated and unbelievably angry at Jackson when he had confessed his love for April at her wedding, and that feeling had just come back - only a lot worse. To think that he would just go out and marry another woman... ''How can you just go out and steal another woman's man? Who do you think you are?''

"I didn't steal him. He asked me to marry him. And I happily accepted. I get that you're mad, but we love each other."

Stephanie scoffed, ''he and I loved each other, we talked about marriage and a future together as well - and look what happened to that. It'll just be a matter of time before he'll leave you for another woman,'' she said. ''It's just a matter of time; you and he don't even have anything in common.''

"That would never happen." April said less confidently.

''I wouldn't be so sure,'' Stephanie told her. ''And considering what you two did to me it, it's just what you deserve.'' She said before turning around and walking out the door.

April was about to say something but never got that chance, which she guessed was a good thing. She wasn't going to stoop to Stephanie's level.

* * *

As Catherine walked away from Richard's office she smiled - it was so nice to visit him at work even if those moments were brief. As she walked around the corner her smile faded when she saw April hurry out of the on-call room with red eyes as if she had been crying. Catherine hurried over to her and put an arm around the red head to slow her down, ''April, are you okay?'' She asked concerned.

"Um... " April started with a stuffy nose, "Not really but I'll be okay... I just have to finish my shift and-"she said before Catherine interrupted her.

''You'll do no such thing until you tell me what's wrong,'' Catherine told the younger woman, directing her back to the on-call room so they could talk privately.

April sat down on one of the beds. "Stephanie was eavesdropping on a conversation between Jackson and I and she said some pretty hurtful things." April tried to speak respectfully of her.

Catherine had met Stephanie a couple of times while Jackson was still with her and had always found her very respectful. ''She probably just feels hurt and rejected, often when people feel that way they say things they don't mean. She'll just need some time to get over what happened,'' she told April.

"I just hate that I'm the girl I said I would never be... How could I steal another woman's boyfriend?''

Catherine took a deep breath, ''April, you deserve to be happy. And every once in a while you have to be a little selfish to get there.'' She said. ''Aside from that, Avery loved you so much that he proclaimed his love for you at your wedding - considering that, I don't think his relationship with Stephanie would have lasted even if he didn't go after you. You didn't steal him; he came to you willingly.''

"Thank you Catherine. I know that you and I haven't gotten along but I really want to get to know you and I hope to be half the mother and mother in law you are one day.'' April leaned in for a hug not knowing how it would be received.

Catherine smiled at her as she put her arms around her, ''well thank you dear, that's very sweet of you,'' she said, appreciating the compliment. ''I would like to get to know you better as well.''

"How about I make you and Jackson dinner tonight?" April suggested.

''I'd love that.'' Catherine said.

''Great.''

* * *

Jackson let out a sigh as he made his way back to the entrance to the hospital; he had looked for April everywhere but couldn't find her - frustrating him beyond belief. When his mother had called him a couple of hours earlier - telling him how upset his wife had been - he had finally realized how frustrating it was for her to not have their relationship be known to other people. And apparently that had led her to question their relationship completely.

As he walked down the stairs to the main entry to the hospital he saw her standing at the reception desk, talking to Dr. Webber - just as well. Avery could feel the ring he had just purchased in his pocket and took a deep breath as he gathered all his courage. ''Excuse me?'' He said, rather loudly so everybody could hear him. As people looked at him he smiled, ''may I have everybody's attention for a second?'' He asked.

Not really getting a response he focused on April who was looking at him confused. ''These last couple of weeks I have kept a secret - a big secret - from a lot of people, because I wasn't ready to tell anyone. But now, I want everybody to know,'' he said, looking at April. ''A few weeks ago April Kepner stood in front of the altar to marry another guy, and that was what it took for me to finally tell her how much I love her... We got married that night,'' he added, seeing the shocked looks on the faces of the people in front of him.

''Afterwards we agreed to keep that a secret, at the very least for a little while, but I don't want to keep us a secret anymore. I want everybody to know how much I love you and how much I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. April, you're everything to me and I want the whole world to know that. I'd marry you everyday if you'd let me...'' he said, looking into her eyes. To him it felt like they were alone in the room - not like his friends, colleagues, mom and mom's boyfriend were there.

''When I asked you to marry me I didn't give you a ring because I didn't have one, but I have one now,'' he said as he walked down the last steps and over to her. He got down on one knee in front of her and took the ring out of his pocket - it was a gold band with a few small diamonds in it. He could afford more but he knew she wouldn't want anything extravagant - and unlike the tattooed ring, this one wouldn't fade in a couple of years. ''You're my world April, and I don't want you to ever forget that... So, will you accept this ring?''

April couldn't believe her eyes. For a minute she wondered what everyone would think, but the moment she looked into his eyes... She vowed that the only person whose opinion that mattered was her husband's. Now and forever. April nodded at him and as he stood up she once again jumped into his arms. "Of course I will. You big fat liar. You told me you felt sick today."

Jackson smiled at her as he held her close, ''you can't tell me that little lie wasn't worth it,'' he told her as he wished he'd never have to let her go.

"It was! God I love you so much." April couldn't stop crying. She tried to contain herself once again. "So does that mean we get a second honeymoon?" She asked jokingly, not thinking he was serious.

''I'll give you anything you want,'' Jackson told her as he pulled away and captured her lips in a kiss, ''if you want a second honeymoon than that's what you're going to get,'' he said as he leaned his forehead against hers.

* * *

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

"April, I know I lied about being sick yesterday but I really don't feel well today," Jackson told April as he walked into the bathroom where she was currently getting ready for work.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to take your temperature? I just have to find where I put the thermometer."

"Nah it's just a stomachache. I'm sure it'll be fine if I just take it easy today," he replied. He didn't want to worry April and if he had to suffer in silence to accomplish that, than that was what he was going to do.

"Babe, I can take off today. We have plenty of people on staff... I don't like you being sick." April was a little concerned but she didn't want to seem worried if he wasn't. She trusted his judgment.

"That really isn't necessary," he said as he walked back into the bedroom. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about, but I don't think it's in the best interest of my patients if I'm constantly distracted by a stomachache."

"Okay, okay. If you really think you're okay I'll go. But you call me if it gets worse, alright?"

"Of course I will," Jackson replied with a smile. He crawled back into bed as April finished getting ready for work.

* * *

"Puerto Rico sounds nice. I've always wanted to learn about Latin culture." April was filling out prescriptions while Callie read through a magazine describing honeymoon destinations.

"Oh oh, how about Hawaii though?" Callie asked her before turning the magazine around to show the picture of a white sand beach to the red head.

"I'm not walking around in grass skirt and a coconut bra Callie. Next."

"Hey, I like Hawaii okay? Besides, I'm sure you'd look great in a grass skirt and a coconut bra, but I digress." Callie responded before turning the page. "Okay, how about Paris... It's the city of love after all."

April dropped her pen and stared at Callie. Her eyes were sparkling. "Do you think Jackson would kiss me under the Eiffel Tower?" She asked excitedly.

Callie chuckled, "I'm sure Avery would do just about anything for you," she responded.

April took out her phone and texted Jackson. "Me in a grass skirt or making out like teenagers in Paris?" She added a kissy face emoji. All the sudden she heard a familiar text tone.

Callie was too focused on the magazine picturing The _World's Most Gorgeous Honeymoon Destinations_ to realize the confusion on April's face.

"Oh my god! That's Jackson's ringtone. What the-"

"Male, early thirties, complaining of pain in his lower abdomen, slight fever. Might be appendicitis," the EMT said as he pushed the stretcher with Jackson on it out in front of him.

"Oh my god! Jackson? What happened?! I told you to call me! Why didn't you call me?!" April sounded more worried than angry.

"We need you to step back," the EMT told her as he tried to push her aside as gently as possible.

"April, they've got this," Callie told her; even though she could hear the worry in her own voice as well she knew that Bailey had this.

"Kepner. Torres is right, okay? Torres, go take her to get some coffee." Before she left, Bailey grabbed April's arm gently. "April. I'll figure this out okay? Just stay calm."

* * *

"April, just relax," Callie said as they walked into the on-call room. As April sat down she decided to do exactly what Bailey had advised: get some coffee. She silently cursed as she realized that they had ran out of coffee filters, "I'm going to go to the cafeteria real quick to get some coffee, stay here until I get back, okay?"

April nodded and said nothing. She felt as if she was going to throw up.

Stephanie ran a hand through her hair as she walked down the hallway. She saw Dr. Torres hurry out of the on-call room. 'I need a break,' Stephanie thought exhausted. She had just pulled an 18 hour shift. As she walked into the on-call room she wasn't sure whether she should just leave or simply pretend April wasn't there.

April lifted her head after a quick prayer only to see Stephanie. She was determined to stay quiet; she wasn't going to do this. Not today.

Stephanie took a deep breath as she sat down in one of the chairs across from April, grabbing a magazine from the table to read; ignoring April the entire time.

April got up to leave the room when Stephanie stopped her.

Stephanie cleared her throat as she saw April head for the door. She had had a bad day and really needed to relief some tension, if that meant intentionally starting a fight with someone she couldn't stand, so be it. "What's wrong Avery? Can't stand being in the same room as someone who has slept with your husband? Hope it isn't as bad for you as it was for me!"

April couldn't take it anymore. She was seeing red! "You know what Stephanie I'm about sick of your crap! Go to hell!" With no time to react Stephanie was punched in the nose.

Stephanie stumbled back as her hand went to her face, just in time to stop the blood from dropping into her scrubs. She stood up and looked up at April with her jaw dropped, "what is wrong with you?!" She asked the other woman.

"I'm done being your punching bag." April said.

Just as Stephanie was about to swing her fist into April's face the door opened. "Okay, I got the cof-" Callie looked shocked at what she found inside on-call room.

Stephanie dropped her fist as she looked over at Callie, "I'm out of here," she said as she walked to the door. All she wanted was to just go home and go to sleep.

"Hold on; you're not going anywhere," Callie said as she blocked the door. She was still looking at April. "What happened in here while I was gone?" She asked the other two women.

"Stephanie said some very mean things about Jackson that were supposed to be personal. I tried being nice but I'm done." April tried to stay focused on the conversation but her hand was throbbing and beginning to swell.

"I didn't say anything that you didn't have coming," Stephanie said back as Callie handed her a paper handkerchief for her bloody nose.

Callie stared at April in disbelief; she had never figured that the red head would punch somebody in the face. She wasn't sure what to do, before she could do anything though her pager went off, she quickly checked, "they're prepping Jackson for surgery now," she said to April.

Stephanie looked back and forth between the other two for a second with a worried look on her face, "what are you talking about? What kind of surgery?"

"He's been complaining of stomach pain for two days... Bailey thinks it's an appendicitis. Callie will you walk me down there please?" April stared at the door. All she wanted to do was get the hell out of there and see her husband.

"Yeah of course," Callie replied as she handed April her coffee. As they walked out the door she looked over her shoulder at Stephanie, "I'll let you know if anything happens," she told the intern, knowing that April's thoughts were with Jackson she didn't have to worry about her hearing it.

"Thank you," Stephanie replied shortly.

* * *

April ran into the pre op bay. Jackson was extremely groggy but managed to stay awake a little longer.

Callie could see on his face how miserable he looked, "How're you feeling?" She asked him.

"Yeah handsome, how's it going?" April asked, kissing him on the forehead.

Jackson looked up at his wife, "I've felt better," he told her, trying his hardest to stay awake.

"Sweetheart you know you don't have to stay strong for me right? You should've told me how bad you were feeling, I could've helped you."

"I didn't want to worry you," Jackson told her, ignoring the pain in his abdomen.

"I'm your wife. I'm supposed to worry about you. Don't ever do that to me again. You got it?"

Jackson nodded with a small smile. He was happy that she cared so much about him.

Callie put a hand on April's arm they're going to take him into surgery now," she told her.

"Sweet dreams, Mr. Avery."

* * *

April got a page, it was from Owen. Immediately she regretted her rash and immature decision. It wasn't like her and she didn't like the feeling of nauseating guilt.

"I can take that page if you want me to," Callie said, sitting next to April.

"Nah I got it. I could use the distraction. Just keep an eye on Avery for me."

Callie nodded as she watched the other woman walk away, "I'll let you know if I hear anything," she shouted after her.

Owen looked up as he heard the door to his office open, seeing April there he showed a slight smile, "Dr. Avery," he acknowledged.

"You wanted to see me sir?" April sat down in the chair facing his desk.

"Yes, I got a visit from Dr. Edwards a few minutes ago. I'm assuming you know what this is about?" Owen told her.

"I do. I know what I did was wrong sir. Stephanie made me angry but I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me." She was completely sincere.

"No, indeed you shouldn't have," Owen said. "I know that you two have had your differences, but I cannot have you two attacking each other in the on-call room. I don't know who started it today but I do know that Dr. Edwards was the one who ended up with the bloody nose so I'm afraid I have no choice but to follow protocol and give you a two week suspension without pay."

"I understand. Can I stay until Jackson gets out of surgery?" April asked meekly.

Owen took a deep breath. He knew that Stephanie had already gone home so there was nothing to worry about, "of course," he said to April.

* * *

April nervously knocked on the door with her uninjured hand. She knew what she had to do. She knew that there was a chance that Stephanie would not forgive her, but she knew she had to try. If she didn't she would never be able to forgive herself.

Stephanie looked up from her position on the couch and immediately regretted it; her head hurt like crazy. But her nose had stopped bleeding on the way home so at least that helped. She stood up and walked over to the door, opening it she found the last person she'd expected standing on the other side, "what are you doing here?" She asked April.

"What I did was extremely immature. I was frustrated and worried." April admitted nervously. "I know you and I aren't on good terms but I should've never hurt you. Emotionally or physically. That behavior was truly not me."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "you're just saying that because I told chief Hunt what you did and don't want to get a suspension," she said but before she could say anything else April interrupted her.

"No Stephanie. I did get in trouble, but that's not why I'm apologizing; I've had my heart broken before and it hurts like hell. I should have never gotten engaged to someone I wasn't in love with. If I hadn't that would have saved me and a few people around me a lot of heart ache."

Stephanie didn't know what to say, she hadn't expected this and it had taken her by surprise. She swallowed hard, "I'm sorry about what I said today. I was having a bad day and was purposely trying to start a fight."

"I know and I'm sorry as well. I don't apologize for marrying Jackson, but for the way we went about it. We should've been honest with ourselves but I truly believe he never meant to hurt you. He's a really good guy."

"He is and I hope he's going to be okay," Stephanie said. She was still mad at April even though she knew it was Avery who had confessed his love first. "I have to be honest with you; I don't see us ever being friends and I don't forgive you for marrying Jackson. But I want to propose a truce: I will stop badmouthing your relationship with him if you stop constantly flaunting it."

"What Jackson and I do will remain in the privacy of our home. No more flaunting," April said shaking Stephanie's hand. April turned towards the door.

Stephanie stopped her. "Thank you," she said. "Tell Jackson that I hope he feels better soon."

"I will." April smiled slightly, before leaving.

* * *

"I'm so happy they let me leave today," Jackson said as he and April walked down the hallway to the front door of their apartment.

"Me too. It's been weird sleeping in this apartment without you."

"Well hopefully we won't have any more nights apart in our lives," Jackson replied, knowing the chance of that would be slim since they were surgeons after all.

"What a nice little dream. Alright close your eyes. "April said, stepping in front of the door before Jackson could open it.

Jackson laughed, "okay, what have you done to the apartment while I was gone?" He asked with a grin.

"Nothing you wouldn't approve of. No come on smarty pants close your eyes."

Jackson closed his eyes and waited for April to guide him into the apartment.

"Alright we are in the apartment. Open them."

As Jackson opened his eyes and looked around his jaw dropped, "April, this is amazing!" He told her.

April made different colored lanterns was balloons all over the apartment. She also had an inflatable Eiffel Tower she got from the party store. The whole apartment was nicely decorated in a very romantic style.

Jackson looked over at her, "a preview for that honeymoon we were talking about?" He asked her with a wink.

"Yeah I figured since we couldn't go to Paris I'd bring Paris to you."

"Well, we can still go to Paris some other time," Jackson told her. "But for now this will do," he added with a smile before pecking her lips.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

Avery walked into the bedroom, April was already in bed but he had only just gotten home and ready for bed, "Hi honey," he said before pecking her on the lips.

"Hey cutie pie. How was surgery?" April asked as she rolled over groggily.

"Well, the patient survived but the next 24 will tell," Avery replied as he slid into bed beside his wife. "So, I was wondering when you can take some time off of work, you know... Take that honeymoon we've been talking about."

"Babe, I just got off probation. What's got you in such a hurry to get to Paris, huh?" April asked. She moved closer to him as he made his way into bed.

Avery grinned at her, "you being on probation gave us a lot of time to spend together and I don't want that to end just yet," he told her.

"We're married remember? You can have me all to yourself whenever you want," April laid her head on Jackson's chest.

"Yes, but as long as we're here there's always a chance that one of us gets paged back to work. Plus, weren't you the one who said how nice it would be to go away together?" Avery asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"Of course it would. Moonlight dinners, nice French breakfasts, and a huge hotel room." April winked at him seductively. "But we just can't right now, J. My patient is almost to the top of the transplant list, I can't abandon her now."

Avery gave her a slight smile, thinking of how nice it would be to actually go to Paris, "I guess it'll have to wait until a better time," he told her, unable to hide the slight disappointment in his voice.

"Hey, you're not going to sleep yet are you? I don't have an early shift tomorrow." She looked at him and smiled.

"Well, if we can't go on our honeymoon than we'll just have to make the best of the time spend here," Avery said before capturing her lips in a kiss.

* * *

A few hours later April was still awake. She loved watching Jackson sleep. He was so handsome. And sleeping next to him was the best feeling in the world. How could she not have realized this sooner? What if she hadn't at all? She quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head and fell into a not so peaceful sleep.

_"So, my mom suggested we go on a double date with her and Dr. Webber this weekend. Can you think of any excuse not to go?" Avery asked Stephanie as she continued filling out patient forms, she was covering the pit that day._

_Stephanie looked over at him, annoyed. ''There's no way you're going to get me to spend time with your mom,'' she told him before looking back down at the forms._

_Avery let out a small sigh, "I'll think of an excuse," he told her. He just leaned in for a kiss when she turned away from him and walked away, obviously not happy that she might have to spend time in his mother's presence._

_From the corner of his eye, Jackson saw April. She was headed to Hunt's office but looked sad and preoccupied. To this day he still hated to see her cry. He looked out for Stephanie before making his way over to her. "Hey Kepner," he said trying to get her attention while ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. "Is everything okay?" He asked, concerned by the expression on her face._

_"Huh? Oh yeah. Everything is fine, I was just giving Hunt my two week notice. I'm resigning." April looked away before he could see her tears._

_Avery's eyes widened as his jaw dropped in shock, "you're what?! You're leaving?" He asked._

_"Yeah, that was Matt and I's deal. I'd work until I was about 6 months along and then I would take off. Go be a stay at home mom." The truth was that that was not what April wanted. It's what Matthew wanted. She hated it but she and Matthew were having problems as it is. She didn't want her marriage to crumble._

_"Wow, I really didn't see this coming... I'm going to miss you around here," Avery said. It took him a few seconds before it sunk in what he'd just said, not wanting his feelings for her to become known he quickly added: "you know, because you're an amazing doctor and I like working with you. But if this is what you want than of course I'm happy for you," he said, even though he had a feeling that she wasn't so happy about the deal._

_"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself Avery. Keep it up alright?" The moment April looked into his eyes she quickly wondered if she'd made a mistake all those years ago. He'd confessed his love for her but she chose Matthew because she didn't want to disappoint anyone. As she snapped out of her daze she realized they were both staring at each other hard. "I... have to go." She said rushing in the other direction._

_Avery sighed as he watched her walk away; he had wanted to marry her... He knew she was The One for him, not Stephanie. But it was simply too late, his chance had come and gone._

* * *

As Avery awoke in the middle of the night he saw April sitting against the headboard next to him. Noticing the slightly distressed look on her face he sat up as well, "are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I just had a bad dream and can't sleep. Just go back to sleep babe, I'll be okay."

"No it's fine," Avery said, he put a hand on her arm in an attempt to comfort her, "just tell me what it was about."

"Us... If we hadn't gotten together. I married Matthew and you were with Stephanie." April shuddered thinking of the last few unpleasant encounters with Stephanie.

"I can imagine how that would be a bad dream," Avery said. "Judging by the tone of your voice I'm assuming you weren't too happy with him?"

"What do you think? She asked, kissing him on the cheek.

"I think that even though I was moderately happy when I was with Stephanie, I'd much rather be with you," he told her before kissing her back.

She smiled. "Ugh I just want to go back to sleep!" She yelled out of frustration. "J, I know you're tired, I promise I'll be okay. Go back to sleep."

Avery looked at her for a second before pulling her into his arms, "let's both go back to sleep," he told her, giving her a small smile.

"I'll try I guess." She said unenthusiastically.

* * *

_"Matthew, I'm home." On her way home from the hospital April had stopped by the grocery store. Being 6 months pregnant she was hoping Matthew would give her a hand carrying everything. "Matt?"_

_"Hi honey," he said, not even looking away from the TV. He had just gotten home from a long shift and didn't feel like doing anything._

_"Can I have some help please?" April asked, trying not to get annoyed._

_Matthew let out a sigh, "honey, I just got home from a long shift, I really don't have the energy to help you." He told her._

_"That's alright I got it." April slammed the bag of groceries on the counter and hobbled to her room._

_Matthew finally looked away from the TV, over his shoulder just in time to see his wife walk away from him, "could you keep the noise down?" He asked annoyed, "I'm trying to watch TV over here."_

* * *

Matthew rubbed the back of his head as he walked out of the ER, making his way back to the ambulance. He was right in the middle of his shift but hadn't been able to get a lot of sleep the night before, which was now taking its toll. Walking out the door he bumped into April, he hadn't seen her since she had left him at the altar and seeing her now brought back some old feelings. "Hi," he said, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden.

"How are you?" April asked shyly. She knew that, in addition to apologizing to Stephanie, she had to apologize to Matthew. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to that. She didn't want to make him feel bad or let him know any personal details but indeed she did need to apologize.

Matthew hesitated for a moment, "I've been okay," he told her. He bit his lip for a second before adding: "I've missed you."

"Matthew, I'm sorry about how I handled things. You're a wonderful man who deserves a wife who's crazy about you. I handled our relationship the wrong way; I never should have led you on. The truth is I'm in love with Jackson and we've been married for about 8 weeks now."

Matthew could feel his jaw drop a little bit, it felt like his heart was breaking into pieces and he tried his best not to let it show. He cleared his throat, "well, God has a plan for everyone and I guess you marrying me wasn't part of that plan," he told her even though it hurt.

"That's exactly right. Thank you for understanding. I know that there's someone out there who is and forever will be crazy about you." April smiled and fidgeted with the tongue depressors in her pocket, unsure of what to do next.

"I hope you're right," Matthew said, "maybe all I have to do is be in the right place at the right time and meet her." He told her, repeating what he had been telling himself for the last eight weeks.

"Maybe," April said, smiling a little.

* * *

'I feel like I've been in a fog today,' she thought to herself. April couldn't believe how much she'd been dozing off at work. It was as if she was having a never ending nightmare.

Seeing April standing in the hallway, Avery smiled. He made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her neck. He was glad they could finally show each other some affection at work now, "hi," he greeted her.

April jumped a little as she felt his hands around her waist. "Hey sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling like myself. I really need to go home and crash," April took the scrunchie out of her hair and let it fall down her back. Maybe that would relieve her excruciating headache.

Avery frowned at her in concern, "are you okay?" He asked her. He knew she hadn't slept that well that night, that, in combination with how she was behaving now, only added to his concern.

"Yeah sweetie, I'm fine. I'm just going to go home." April hugged Jackson; she could smell the cologne he was wearing. Before she knew it she was having another day dream.

_Matthew groaned and threw his head back in frustrating. "April, can you get that already?!" He asked her, trying to stay calm. Harper Marie, their six-month-old daughter, wouldn't stop crying and he was way too tired to be dealing with that._

_"Matt, I'm about to take a shower, can you just feed her? There's formula in the fridge," April rolled her eyes as she moved toward the bathroom._

_Matt looked over his shoulder at his red-headed wife, "you've got to be kidding me," he told her. "The reason you became a stay at home mom was so that I wouldn't have to deal with a baby crying all hours of the day. I've worked my butt off today to provide food for this family and this is the thanks I get?"_

_"Damn it Matthew, she's your daughter too! And just because I'm a stay at home mom doesn't mean I'm your damn door mat!"_

_Matthew let out a sigh, "I really don't have the energy for this right now. If you just listened to me and did what I asked you to do we could have avoided this whole argument and everybody would be happier for it. I work really hard for this family and it would be nice if, just for once, you'd stop thinking about yourself and your own needs, and put our family first!" He told her._

_"What the hell are you implying?" April could feel her face getting red with anger._

_Matthew let out a sigh, "God! Do I have to spell out everything for you?!" He asked her. "I work my butt off to make sure you don't have to work. I'm happy to do that but not if it means that you're going to sit around all day only concerned with yourself. Harper deserves a mother who puts her needs first instead of being egotistical all the time. She deserves a mother who is better than you and I sure as hell deserve a better wife than you!"_

_"Excuse me?! Sit on my butt? Where were you when Harper had a 101 fever and an ear ache? Or when she would cry all night and I would have to stay up until she fell asleep? Huh? Here's your answer; you weren't at work or at home. So where the hell were you?! God I can't take this anymore. I want a divorce, Matthew!"_

_Matthew looked at her in silence for a few seconds, his eyes were cold. "Fine by me," he told her. "We're better off without you. Maybe after you're out of the picture I can find a woman who will actually care about Harper and take care of her - not just when she's sick but always."_

_"You're not taking my daughter and if you think you are, you're going to have one hell of a fight!" April grabbed Harper and their coats and stormed out of their two bedroom apartment._

_Matthew stood in the doorway, watching April rush to the car, "I'll let you have tonight, and make sure you enjoy it cause I'll get her back in no time. And when I do you ain't never seeing her again!" He shouted after her._

* * *

Avery closed the front door behind him, making sure he was as quiet as he could possibly be in case April was already asleep. It was already quite late so he got ready for bed as fast as he could. He walked into the bedroom in his pajama pants, seeing that April was still awake he smiled. "Hi sweetheart," he said to her as he crept into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hi," April said in misery. She couldn't get rid of these dreams. They were beginning to consume her.

Noticing her unhappiness, Avery could feel a wave of sadness wash over him. He hated seeing her unhappy. He buried his face into her hair, "what's wrong?" He asked her; hoping she would confide in him.

"Jackson, remember last night when I couldn't sleep? It's because I've been having those dreams about Matthew and I again... I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you."

Jackson hesitated for a moment, "what happened in your dream?" He asked her. He couldn't help but wonder about what had upset her this much, it must've been more than just her and Matthew together...

"Matthew and I were still together and I was miserable. I wasn't working and he wasn't helping with anything around the house but the worst part was that I wasn't with you. I had completely lost myself... I don't want marriage to do that to me. To us."

Avery gave her a slight smile as he wiped away a strand of her hair away from her face, "I'll make sure that never happens," he told her. "You're far too amazing to ever let that happen."

April smiled a little and snuggled in his arms. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Only because you made me that way," Avery told her. Since being with April he had grown a lot. He had become more mature and more focused on all the blessings he already had rather than always wanting more. "If it weren't for you I never would've been able to become who I am today."

April kissed him deeply and soon fell in a deep sleep, this last one putting an end to her sequence of bad dreams:

_Looking up from the paper work in front of him, Avery stopped dead in his tracks. There she was... The woman he hadn't seen since she had handed in her resignation almost a year before, the woman that had -without knowing it -broken him and Stephanie up, the woman who he was sure he would love for the rest of his life. He would never get tired of her smile, her laugh; every single aspect that made her April Kepner had made him fall in love with her over and over again. But today, something was missing. There was a never before seen sadness in her eyes and she looked insecure. He quickly rushed over to her as she started walking to the elevators, "April!"_

_"Hi Jackson." April kept quiet. She was nervous. After leaving her job at her own will, would Owen really let her have her job back?_

_Avery cocked his head to the side, "what's with the sad face?" He asked her. He could feel his heart break a little at the look on her face._

_"Oh you know, just the woes of being a single mom." She had a sarcastic tone in her voice. Sarcasm was one of the few ways she could keep up her happiness when she wasn't with Harper._

_Avery's jaw dropped at her words, "single mom?" He asked her. "Oh my God... I'm so sorry!"_

_"Don't be, it was long overdue. I'm just ready to get my life back. Maybe get back into the OR and save some lives." She had a slight grin on her face._

_"You got your old job back?" Avery asked surprised. "That's great," he told her._

_"Yeah, just taking it day by day. Harper's in the daycare upstairs and for right now I'm only working day shifts. Owen is going to put me on the new job probation."_

_"That's great, I'm sorry to hear about the divorce but I'm glad you're doing well," he told her._

_"Thanks, well I have paper work to fill out. See you around?" April could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she spoke._

_"Actually one more thing," Avery told her, taking a step towards her - the same one she'd already taken to the elevators. "Since you're taking it day by day, do you think there'll be a day when you agree to go out with me?" He asked, feeling incredibly nervous._

_April blushed a little. "That'd be nice. Callie is going to babysit Harper since I've been on constant baby duty. I was actually going to go grab some Chinese later. You can go with me if you want."_

_Avery smiled at her, his nerves fading away a bit, "I'd love that," he told her. After a moment of hesitation he leaned in and softly kissed her lips._

* * *

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

"Happy three month anniversary," Jackson told April as he wrapped his arms around her. He had been paged to the ER in the middle of the night so he hadn't seen her all day.

"Hey Dr. Avery." She said, taking his hand and leading him to an on call room.

Jackson smiled as he followed her to the on call room. However, they only managed to take a few steps in that direction when both his mother and Stephanie appeared on the other side of April.

"What's your mom doing here?" April asked nervously. She and Catherine were on better terms, but the older woman still intimidated her beyond belief.

Avery swallowed hard; he honestly had no idea other than that she might've been visiting the chief. Still, that didn't explain why she was spending time with Stephanie. Before he could respond both of the other women had started walking towards them.

"Jackson," Catherine said, looking down at his hand which was currently holding his wife's.

"Mother. Dr. Edwards." Jackson acknowledged, trying to keep it curt. "What're you doing here?" He asked, focusing on his mother.

"I was inviting Stephanie here to dinner with Richard and I, just because you two are no longer together doesn't mean I can't spend time with her," Catherine responded.

Jackson simply looked back at his mom, knowing that their current conversation was most likely making April uncomfortable, he glanced down at her, not responding to what his mother had said just yet.

April grabbed Jackson's hand a little tighter. What was Stephanie up to?

"I mean if that's okay with you guys." Stephanie said with a sarcastic tone. "Just thought you two might want to be alone on your anniversary and all."

"Oh that's right! It's your anniversary, congratulations," Catherine told Jackson and April.

Jackson bit his lip, his mother was a very smart woman but she seemed to have missed the sarcastic tone in Stephanie's voice completely. He shot his mother a look, silently asking her what she was doing spending time with his ex girlfriend.

"That is okay with you, right?" Catherine asked them, repeating Stephanie's question after noticing the expression on Jackson's face.

"Sure, of course it is." April answered before Jackson could get a word in. "Jackson and I should get home anyway."

"Already?" Catherine asked, looking down at her watch.

Jackson took the second his mother was distracted to shoot Stephanie a look. He knew that his ex had never gotten along with his mother and if she was up to what he thought she was up to, he would never forgive her. Seeing his mother look back at him with a confused smile he cleared his throat, "yeah, we both came in early today so chief Hunt wanted us to go home early so we'll be well rested for tomorrow." He told them.

April simply gave a fake smile and nodded.

* * *

"I see my cooking lessons are helping your culinary skills to improve." April joked as she put the clean dish in the cabinet.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jackson said with a smile, a bit absentmindedly. He was still thinking about the look he had seen on Stephanie's face earlier that day. It bothered him and even though he wanted to let it go and just enjoy celebrating April and his' anniversary, he couldn't.

"What's wrong, J? It's our anniversary. We finally have alone time, isn't that what we wanted?"

"It is," Jackson responded curtly. "I just cannot stop thinking about my mom and Stephanie this afternoon. Steph never even liked my mom and now all of a sudden she's going to have dinner with her? I just don't understand why."

"Well, I don't know either, but can we focus on us? Three months is a long time and I'm proud of us." April said as she wrapped her arms around him.

Wrapping his arms around her, Jackson smiled as well before kissing the top of her head, "me too," he told her. "I still can't believe it took seeing you about to marry somebody else for me to finally muster up the courage to tell you how I felt."

"I'm just happy you did. Now what do you say we get our mind on other activities?"

"I'd like that," Jackson told her, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. They kissed for a while before moving to the couch; he kissed her some more before he broke away to breath for a second, "I'd like that very much!"

* * *

April had the worst cramps of her life. She could hardly make it to the bathroom to get medication. She couldn't be pregnant. Obviously these were just terrible cramps which, combined with the stress of figuring out Stephanie's devious plan, made her feel terrible.

Avery saw April standing near the door to the ladies room as he got back from surgery. He had planned to take a break but the concern for his wife immediately made him forget about that. "April?" He asked, lightly touching her arm. "Are you okay? You look a bit sick."

"My back is killing me. I think I just pulled something I'm okay though. Have you talked to your mom about Stephanie yet?"

"From the looks of it I'd say it's a bit more serious than just a backache," Jackson said. "Why don't you let me worry about Stephanie and my mom and we can just get you checked out," he told her, hoping she would agree. He knew she wasn't too keen on asking for help.

"I'll be fine, babe. I always feel this bad about this time of the month. Besides, I have patients. I will see you later okay?" April kissed him on the forehead before slowly walking away from him, down the hallway.

Avery watched her walk away; he knew that even though April might be tough, she wasn't okay. He let out a sigh knowing that he'd have to wait until she asked for help and he couldn't just force it on her. As he turned around and started walking to break room he saw Catherine heading in the same direction. He decided that it was as good a time as ever to ask her about her dinner date with Stephanie. He caught up with her and lightly touched her arm to get her attention, when she turned to look at him he shot her a quick smile before turning serious again. ''Why are you having dinner with Dr. Edwards?'' He asked, getting straight to the point.

"Jackson, I know that Stephanie and April don't see eye to eye, but sweetheart it's been 3 months. Stephanie says she's even started dating again."

Jackson looked at his mother as they both sat down in the break room. He just wanted to know what had been up with her and Stephanie talking the previous day. "This isn't about whether or not April and Stephanie get along," he told her. "And I don't have a problem with Stephanie moving on, I'm happy for her! I just think it's odd that you two would have lunch or dinner or whatever together... You never did that when she and I were still together so I'm just questioning her motives for doing that."

"I think you're not giving her enough credit. Has it ever occurred to you that she might be hanging out with me as a learning experience? Maybe she just wants to perfect the craft of medicine."

Jackson stayed quiet. He knew that - even though Stephanie was an eager learner - she wasn't like that, but after the way his mom had put it, she wouldn't want to hear that. He was going to have to confront Stephanie himself if he wanted to know what was really up. "Yeah, maybe," he responded to his mother.

* * *

As he was rubbing the back of his neck, Jackson tried to forget about his worries concerning April and focus on who he knew was inside the room he was about to go into. He had seen Stephanie walk in there and - remembering what he had told his mom earlier that day - he knew he had to confront her. As he walked in he closed the door behind him. "Steph, can I talk to you?" He asked the young woman.

"What's up? I'm on Bailey's rounds today. I only have 10 minutes."

Jackson was quietly coming up with a strategy as to how approach this subject. He didn't want to just jump straight into what probably would become a fight, but since he only had 10 minutes he had to speed things along. "How was your dinner with my mom and Richard yesterday?" He asked her.

"Good, we talked about job offers. I was interested in maybe doing a year in dermatology before doing my general med rotation... Is that all you wanted?" Stephanie wrapped her stethoscope around had neck before heading toward the door.

"Actually there was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about," Jackson said. He watched her turn back to him, seeming to give him her full attention. "Yesterday when April and I ran into you and my mom, you came across as kind of cold and it made April and I wonder about why you would have dinner with my mom. You never spend time with her when you and I were still a thing so it just seems strange..."

"Well, I have to eliminate the future competition. Everybody knows that now that April is her daughter in law, Catharine will eventually choose her for the Harper Avery. We can't let favoritism get in the way can we?" Stephanie winked at him before walking out of the room.

* * *

"So Stephanie's out to get me? God, I can't win with her," April anxiously paced around their bedroom.

Jackson was sitting on the bed, watching her pace. He had expected this reaction from her; he'd feel the same way. "It's better than her being mean just to piss you off," he told her, trying to show the positive side.

"Jackson, she won't let me have a decent relationship with my in laws. She's- ugh." April quickly grabbed her stomach, as she doubled over in pain.

Jackson jumped up from the bed, quickly helping her to lie down on the bed. "Honey, what's wrong?" He asked her, squatting down next to the bed to look at her.

"Just help me to the bathroom!" She pleaded.

"April I think we should go to the hospital," he told her while rubbing her back, hoping it would alleviate the pain a bit.

"Jackson, please just get me to the bathroom. I think I'm bleeding." April could feel blood seeping through her pajama pants.

Looking down at her legs, Jackson could see a large blood stain forming on the bed. His jaw dropped and it only took half a second of hesitation before he lunged over to the nightstand to grab the phone to call 911.

* * *

Avery was pacing around nervously. He knew had to calm down but simply couldn't. Seeing all the blood there had been had freaked him out, it was on the sheets, her clothes and when they moved it her it was on the floor. He was used to seeing a lot of blood but it being hers made it a whole different story. He sat down in one of the chairs in the hallway outside of where they were examining her, bouncing his knees up and down he looked up when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Jackson?" Callie asked. "What the hell happened?"

Jackson looked down at the blood stain on his shirt for a second before looking back up at his colleague and friend. "I don't know..." he replied honestly."April and I were just talking and then all of a sudden there was so much blood." He said in a shaky voice.

"God! She hasn't said about being in pain to me." Callie sat down next to him, placing a hand on his knee. "Bailey is letting Arizona scrub in. I asked her to."

Avery looked over at her with wide eyes, "surgery? They haven't told me anything yet... What does she need surgery for?" He asked and he could hear the panic in his own voice.

Callie wrinkled her nose. She had no idea that he didn't know what was happening. "They um... they think she might have a few ovarian cysts. No one is sure of the extent yet."

Jackson took a second to let that sink in, "but she's going to be okay?" He asked Callie. His worry didn't allow him to think straight and he couldn't remember the last time he had to deal with such a case, and so didn't know if his wife was going to be okay or not.

"I'm pretty sure, but maybe you should let Bailey explain it more." Just then Callie saw Arizona and Bailey come out of the operating room doors.

Jackson shot up out of his chair and rushed the few steps between him and the two other doctors, "what is going on? Is she okay?"

"She's fine we just stopped the bleeding. We are letting her rest before we proceed further. Then we'll talk about a possible transfusion." Bailey said. "You can go and see her but remember she needs her sleep okay?"

As soon as Bailey finished her sentence Jackson rushed past her into the exam room, though he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how pale April was. He quietly walked over to her and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, "hey," he said quietly with a smile.

* * *

"Jackson, what are you still doing here? I told you to go home and get some sleep." April said groggily as she tried to sit up in the hospital bed.

Jackson tried to gently hold her down, knowing that she might be in pain if she sat up. "April," he began as he silently contemplated if he should tell her what was going on; she was probably too far gone on the painkillers to understand what he was saying. "Honey, you need to stay in bed," he told her as she tried to sit up again.

"Honey I'm fine. Can we just go home already? These painkillers are torture."

"You really have to stay here," Jackson said. "Just relax and they'll take you to sleep soon enough." He said, hoping it would calm her down.

"J I need you to be honest with me. What's going on? Why is nobody telling me anything?"

Avery looked down at her, she seemed a bit scared and it made his heart ache, "it seems that you have a couple of ovarian cysts, but they don't know how serious it is and I don't want you to worry about it until we know there's actually something to be concerned about." He told her.

"But... what about... I want kids Jackson. I want to give you family... That's what a wife I suppose to-" Jackson interrupted her.

"April, whatever happens happens," Jackson told her. "We'll have our own family together one day one way or another. I don't want you to worry about this, stress is only going to make things worse right now. Please just try to relax," he said to her.

* * *

Jackson waited impatiently outside the OR, since they hadn't known how serious it would be he would have to wait until she got out of surgery before he knew anything. What she had said beforehand was running through his mind. As he waited he couldn't help but think about how this one surgery might change the rest of their lives. He glanced over at Callie who was sitting next to him.

"You okay?" Callie asked as she handed him his cup of coffee.

Jackson thought about this for a second as he took the coffee from her, "no." He replied honestly. He really wasn't okay and he didn't think he would be again until he knew that April was okay.

"She'll be fine. They're just ovarian cysts. Nothing that isn't routine."

"Routine surgeries can go wrong too," Jackson reminded Callie as he bounced his knees up and down in nervousness - though being careful not to spill his coffee.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, just relax." Callie and Jackson stood up as they spotted Arizona headed toward them.

Before either Jackson or Callie could say anything, Arizona already answered their questions, "the surgery couldn't have gone better." She said and she could see the relief on their faces, "we were able to remove all the cysts and as soon as she wakes up from the anesthesia she'll be as good as new."

"So she'll eventually be able to have kids? No damage?" Jackson asked nervously.

"Well there's no guarantee that she won't develop more cysts in the future that will cause so much damage that she won't be able to have children, but right now there's no reason to believe that she can't conceive a child," Arizona answered.

"Thank god. When can I see her?" He was completely ready to run back there and sit with his wife.

"They'll move her to post up in a few minutes and you can wait there until she wakes up," Arizona told him.

* * *

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

A short chapter this time:

* * *

Jackson watched April carefully as they walked into their apartment, it had already been a few weeks since she had had the cysts and the operation but he was still worried something would go wrong. A simple gut-feeling that wouldn't go away.  
They had gone to dinner with Richard and Katherine tonight, ''that was... not as bad as I thought it would be,'' Jackson told April as he took off her coat. It was true, though he did get along with Richard it was still odd to see him dating Jackson's mother.

"Nope. It was kind of hard hearing them talk about their vacation though. So I was thinking maybe now would be a good time to go on our honeymoon." April suggested.

Jackson smiled at her, ''I told you I would take you anywhere you wanted to go, at any time. That offer still stands,'' he told her as he sat down on the couch and watched her sit down next to him.

''Good! It could be a 'pre-baby honeymoon." She said as she placed her head on his shoulder.

Jackson's eyes widened, 'pre-baby honeymoon'?! He cleared his throat, ''so do you still want to go to Paris? I've heard it's beautiful this time of year,'' he told her - not wanting to continue talking about babies.

"Paris sounds beautiful. We need to enjoy all the alone time we can get. Maybe we can start practicing now?" April gently pushed him down on the couch.

Jackson kissed her for a few seconds before breaking away and looked deep into her eyes. ''I would love to, but... I need to get up in-'' he looked over at the clock, ''-less than six hours. Maybe it's best if we just go to sleep?'' He asked her.

"Early mornings haven't stopped you before," she tried to convince him to stay.

''Honey, I have a very important and long surgery early in the morning and I want to be as sharp as can be,'' he told her as he slowly pushed her away until they were sitting again - April half in his lap.

"Okay. I guess I'll go take a shower then." April said before getting up and leaving him on the couch.

Jackson sighed as he watched April walk away, hoping that she wasn't mad at him.

* * *

"You're out of surgery early. How'd it go?'' April said as she walked into one of the on call rooms where Jackson was laying down. She snuggled next to him.

Jackson looked over at her - a defeated look in his eyes, ''could've gone a lot better,'' he told her.

"I'm sorry. Well how does a nice home cooked dinner sound? I can make homemade Chinese." She offered.

''That'd be nice,'' Jackson told her as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. ''I have to do a consult in a few minutes,'' he told April as he looked down at her.

"Okay, what time do you get off? That way I know when to get dinner started.''

''I'll probably be home around 7,'' Jackson told her as he got up and put his lab coat back on. ''I'll see you then,'' he said before kissing her lips. Before she could even respond he was already out the door. Yes, he knew he was being curt with her and she wasn't the only one who wasn't enjoying that. But if that was what it took to not get her pregnant and possibly put her life in danger - than he would do it.

* * *

"Babe where have you been? It's almost 8:30 and dinner is getting cold. I thought you said you'd be home by 7."

''Sorry honey, I tried. Appointments just ran long, than a quick board meeting... It's been a long day,'' Jackson told her as he took off his coat. He didn't want to admit that after he finished working late he had gone over to Joe's for a drink and that was the real reason why he was _this_ late.

"Why didn't you just call me or at least text me?"

''I was rushing from room to room and office to office. I didn't have time to text or call,'' Jackson told her. ''Look, I'm sorry honey. I know I'm late but we can still make this an enjoyable evening,'' he told her as he attempted to kiss her cheek, but she was too angry to let him.

"Jackson I called the hospital. You weren't there. Where the hell were you?"

This took him by surprise, ''I, ehm-'' he stammered, not wanting to tell her he had gone to the bar. As he tried to think of something to say, April already interrupted him again:

"Are you cheating on me?" She asked sternly.

A shocked look crossed Jackson's face, ''what?! No!'' He told her, shocked that she would think that of him. ''Of course I'm not cheating on you... You're my everything and I would never even dream of being with another woman.''

''Then what's going on J? You've been distant. You've been lying to me, this isn't like us.''

''April, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with you, just something I have to work out myself.'' Jackson told her.

"I'm sorry babe. I just miss you.'' April walked over to him and kissed him deeply.

Jackson kissed her back. He knew what this was going to lead to if he didn't stop her, but he still wasn't sure how to break the news to her that he wasn't ready for her to get pregnant yet. ''I love you,'' he told her as he broke away from the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you too." April leaned in to kiss him again before he stopped her.

Taking a deep breath Jackson panicked slightly. ''April,'' he began, not ready to continue.

"Jackson, you've got to talk to me. What's wrong?"

''Nothing's wrong!'' Jackson said, raising his voice out of frustration. He sighed and looked down at his feet - he knew that she was staring at him in disbelief. He looked back up, ''IknowyouwanttohaveababyrightnowbutIdontthinkweshould,'' he told her, talking so fast that even he could barely understand a word of what he had just said.

"What?" She asked, trying to comprehend what he said.

Jackson turned around, not wanting to see the hurt look he knew she was going to get on her face when he told her this, ''I know you want to have a baby right now but I don't think we should,'' he repeated, a lot slower this time. ''At least not yet.''

"Oh," She paused for a minute. "Look I know that I've been putting a lot of pressure on you. I didn't realize how bad it was hurting you. I'm just scared that we might not be able to when we want to."

''I'm worried about that too,'' Jackson told her as he turned back around to look at her. ''And I want to have a baby with you more than anything, but if it's going to put your life in danger... A few weeks ago I thought I was going to lose you and it was the worst pain I've ever felt. I want to have a baby with you but not if it means that I'm going to lose you.''

"Jackson what happened was an accident. You didn't do anything. Many people with ovarian cysts have healthy pregnancies and intimacy. I promise you won't hurt me honey.''

Jackson looked deep into her eyes, ''I'm just freaking out about this... But like I said; it's my problem and it's something I need to work on. In a few months I do want to try to have baby but I'm not sure I am ready just yet.''

"Then we won't. What I don't understand is why you weren't honest with me. You know you can tell me anything," April moved toward Jackson and hugged him.

Jackson buried his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder, ''I know how much you want to have a child and I was afraid I would hurt your feelings by saying that I'm not ready yet.'' He told her honestly.

"What hurt more is you rejecting me and not being honest." April said kissing his lips softly.

''I'm really sorry; I promise it won't happen again.'' Jackson told her. ''I hope you can forgive me.''

''Already done." April continued hugging him, never wanting to leave his arms.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

"Mother, I really don't want to talk about this right now," Jackson told Katherine over the phone as he stirred in one of the pans on the stove. "April and I will have a child when we're ready, and we are not, yet."

"Fine! I just want grandbabies is that a crime? I mean you guys have been married 6 months already. I was pregnant with you within a year." Katherine gloated.

"It's our own decision, mother... April and I have talked about it and decided that we are not ready yet, we have a lot going on as it is," Jackson said as he saw April walk into the room in the corner of his eyes.

"Who's that?" April whispered as she walked over to him and began nuzzling his neck.

"It's my mother, apparently she feels the sudden need to have grandchildren," Jackson told her as he had the bottom half of the phone covered with his hand.

April stopped nuzzling and made her way to the couch. She wished the subject would just go away. For the past three months the couple had concededly going to weekly OBGYN appointments. As well as trying to monitor safe sexual activity. This sucked. April missed just having fun with her husband and not having to worry about babies and cysts.

Jackson heard his mother rambling on the other side of the line but wasn't paying attention anymore - all he could see was April and the look in her eyes as she walked over to the couch. "Look, I really have to go now," Jackson said, knowing that he had interrupted Katherine in the middle of a sentence which she wouldn't appreciate. "I'll talk to you some other time this week," he told her and hung up before she could even respond. He slowly made his way over to the couch, unsure of what to say to April since he knew how much she had been struggling with this. He felt the same way. He sat down next to her on the couch and pushed some strands of hair back behind her ear, "honey," he began, waiting for a response.

"I hate this babe. I hate this so damn much. I'm sick of doctors, I'm sick of protection, I'm sick of everything." She was trying not to cry. She knew he hated when she cried, she was just frustrated.

Jackson pulled her into his arms, "I know you do sweetie," he told her. "But one day you'll be able to hold our child in your arms because of it and it'll make it all worth it. We just have to hang tough right now."

"I don't want to. I want to go to Paris, I want there to be one week where I don't have abdominal pain, I want to make love to you without taking extra precautions don't you get that?" Tears were now streaming down her face.

Jackson swallowed hard, "I know that..." he told her. He could give her so much and that made not being able to give her this all the harder. He would do anything to make sure she would never be in pain again but he knew he couldn't make that happen. "I know that it's hard right now and I can't even imagine how much you're hurting, but one day it'll get better and we will be able to go to Paris and you won't be in pain."

"When?" She asked, walking off and heading to their bedroom.

* * *

"Babe, I'm sorry about yesterday I didn't mean to snap at you." April said as she walked into the kitchen that next morning.

"It's okay," Jackson told her as he got up from the couch - on which he had slept that night, he had had a feeling that she needed some alone time - and stretched his muscles. "We've both been under a lot of stress and my mum bringing up the subject as well certainly didn't help. I'll go talk to her today and ask her if she won't bring it up again."

"J you don't have to do that. Just because I'm not comfortable with the subject doesn't mean I can't handle myself. If it's alright with you, the next time the subject comes up I'd like to talk to her about it."

"Maybe we could invite her over for dinner here, that way you won't have to talk to her about it at the hospital," Jackson suggested.

"That'd be great. Now what do you say I make my sweet man some breakfast?" She kissed him on the forehead.

"That sounds good, thank you," Jackson said as he sat down at the kitchen island.

* * *

"I'm sorry if I pressed the subject too much," Katherine told April with a sincere look in her eyes. "I didn't know the problems were this serious. I was having lunch with Stephanie and she asked me if there were any grandchildren on their way... It made me curious, I just thought I'd ask," she added, trying to explain herself.

Jackson stared at his mother for a few seconds as he took in what she had just said. Stephanie knew about the cysts, she knew they weren't able to have kids yet and was smart enough to figure out that the mention of it was sure to spark a fight. He knew and he knew April knew it too... He glanced over at her, unsure of how she'd respond.

"Uh that's okay. I'm sure Stephanie didn't mean any harm." April looked down at her veggie pizza to keep from showing how irritated she was.

Jackson looked at her for a few seconds; he knew how irritated she was even if his mom couldn't see it.

"Anyways, I'll try not to bring it up again. No pressure. Though you should know that the prospect of having grandchildren is very exciting to me," Katherine told them before taking a bite of her foot.

Jackson threw her a look, "mom." He simply said with raised eyebrows, hoping that she'd realize how badly he wanted to change the subject.

"What?" She asked, "I just think that it's important you two know that."

"Yes we do." April said, "excuse me while I use the ladies room." April would do anything to get the hell out of there. The thought of having someone else bring up the subject of infertility made her head hurt.

Katherine waited until the door closed behind her daughter-in-law before she spoke, "what's with her?" She asked her son and looked over at him. It was only then that she realized he was practically fuming.

"What is with her?" Jackson repeated her question with a raised voice, though trying to keep it low enough so April wouldn't hear. "She asks you to drop the issue about our fertility problem, you keeping saying you will but you never do! She's going through a lot right now and all she asks for is that you don't constantly keep bringing it up, why can't you do that?!" Jackson asked, feeling incredibly frustrated.

"Jackson Avery, I don't want you to speak to me like that," Katherine told him with a stern voice. "And I don't see what's wrong with reassuring her that I'd love for you two to have children together. Isn't that what she wanted, for me to accept her into the family? If she's the mother of my grandchildren she'll be in the family forever."

Jackson was just about to respond to her when the bathroom door opened and April came back out.

"Jackson, can I speak to you for a minute?" She asked, careful not show her true emotions. April pulled Jackson into their bedroom and closed the door so Katherine wouldn't hear. "Jackson I don't think I can do this. I just need to clear my head I- I think we need a break." She whispered loudly.

Jackson sighed, "I couldn't agree more! I need a break from her too... I'll ask her to leave," he told April before turning to the door to walk back out.

"No Jackson, I mean you and I. I love you so much, but I'm not sure how to deal with this. I know how much you want a kid but if everyone expects there to be a conception deadline... I'm not sure I'm alright with that at all."

"Honey, you know I don't feel that way. I don't care how long it takes, I just want to have a baby with you," he told her, looking deep into her eyes. "I know my mom is putting a lot of pressure on you but I'll ask her to just back off... Please don't leave me."

"Jackson it's not just about you or us, it's about me too. I don't know how I feel about all this. Me! I haven't had time to process this. Please try to understand that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I just have some things to sort out. I'm going to go stay at a hotel for a few days maybe a week and when I get back um... We'll talk okay? Talk."

Jackson could feel his heart breaking while every cell in his body was clinging to the fact that they were not over, yet. "There is nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?" He asked.

April shook her head. "I'll finish eating, and help you clean up and then I'm going to start packing. Let's just finish dinner. Okay?"

* * *

Jackson glanced over at Stephanie who was sitting on the other side of the hospital cafeteria. Her talking to his mom was what started this whole mess. He hadn't been able to sleep very well because he missed April - that only added to his frustration. He looked over at Callie as she was sitting down next to him. He opened his mouth to start talking but she interrupted him before he got the chance.

"What? Jackson I promise you I haven't talked to her. Look if you really want to get her to stay go tell her. I saw her heading back to the hotel for the day. Maybe you can meet her there or something. Please just quit looking so pitiful."

"No, she wants her space. The least I can do is stay away from her until she's ready to talk," he told her. His shoulders slumped as he leaned forward and put his head in his hands, "how did this happen? Everyone said that we weren't going to last because we got married 'too fast', but we were doing so great..."

"Life happened. The only way she's going to know that you won't let life and negative energy get in the way is if you tell her. Come on dude, you know want to go see her. Just take a chance."

"She knows that I'd do anything for her and that I won't let anything get between us. I just don't feel I should pressure her into talking about this before she's ready. She wanted some time apart to think and I should give her that."

"You're not pressuring her. In fact don't even talk to her; just let your emotions do the talking. Sometimes talking only makes it worse. Just go over there and let your emotions do the talking."

Jackson swallowed hard, "I don't think I can do that," he told her. "How do I know if she's ready to talk?"

"You don't let her. Not today, just be with her."

* * *

April was just sitting down for dinner. She'd picked up a salad on the way back to the hotel. She could hardly eat and when she tried to open her bible she lost focus. She missed Jackson but she needed this alone time, even if it was one of the worst feelings. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. She hadn't told anyone what room she was in so she wouldn't be disturbed. This was just great.

Jackson waited as inpatient as ever for her to open the door. On the way to the hotel he had prepared what she was going to say - he didn't trust himself enough to just let his emotions speak for themselves. However, when the door opened and he came face to face with her, he didn't know what to say. "I..." he began, trying to get his brain to form an actual sentence.

"What are you doing here-" April began her sentence but Jackson interrupted her with a kiss.

Jackson kept April's face between his hands as he pulled away from her - leaning his forehead against hers once again. "I know you wanted alone time but I couldn't stand missing you for another moment," he told her before kissing her again.

"Jackson, I don't think we should do this. You need to leave." As she turned away he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms. He leaned in to kiss her and she couldn't help but passionately kiss him back.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

Sorry if the translation to French isn't great, neither one of us speaks French so we had to improvise.

* * *

"Jackson, this shouldn't have happened. I told you I just needed some time alone," April wrapped the sheet around herself and began to get up before she felt his hand gently grab her wrist.

"Honey, I know you need some alone time but just one day without you and I realized that I can't be apart from you," Jackson told April. "I know things are tough right now but I don't think being apart will make that easier."

"How are you so content with this? I mean the fact that your wife can't have children and carry on the Avery name. You're okay with us being intimate with the possibility of never having kids? You're okay with that? Let me tell you something: I'm sure as hell not okay with it! "She sat on the bed next to her husband but didn't dare to look at him.

Jackson sat up against the headboard, "I'm not happy with it, but even if we never have kids, I'll still have you. That's what is most important to me right now," he told her. "And there are other options we can give a chance and maybe one day God will bless us with a child."

"Jackson, just stop. You don't even believe in God. How dare you tell me that? Are you mocking my faith now?"

"I'm willing to believe that there's something, and I'm willing to call that God," he told her. "I'm not mocking you; you know I'd never do that to you."

"You'd become mildly religious for the sake of me and our children?" April asked as she moved closer to him. "J, I never want to force you to do something you don't whole heartedly want to do."

"You're not forcing me to do anything," he reminded her. "I know how important this is to you and you're important to me."

April kissed his lips softly. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I love you and I can't wait to have a family with you."

"I can't wait either," he told her before kissing her back. "Does this mean you'll come home?" He asked as he pulled away.

"Of course it does. But what if we make a stop in Paris first?"

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Jackson asked as they walked out of the airport in Paris.

"It's beautiful honey. I wonder what the hotel is like." April grabbed his hand as they tried to catch a cab.

"I'm sure it'll be great," Jackson said with his fingers crossed. They had been last minute reservations so he wasn't sure, but the hotel had gotten good reviews. As a cab stopped in front of them he held open the door for April before slipping in next to her.

April was too distracted with the beautiful sights to hear what he was saying. She then noticed a little boy on the side of the road. It looked like he needed help. "J I think that kid is hurt. Do you think he needs help?"

Jackson looked back out the cab; he hadn't closed the door yet. There was a small boy, no older than 5, standing near the door to the airport crying. Nobody seemed to give him a second glance and Jackson didn't see any parents. Jackson looked back at April, "should we check on him and go to the hotel later?" He asked her.

"Yeah babe it's the right thing to do." April quickly notified the cab driver that they weren't leaving after all and they got out.

Jackson heard April close the car door behind her as he walked over to the little boy. He was crying loudly and had his face buried in his hands. "Are you okay?" Jackson asked as he crouched down in front of the boy.

"Sweetie I don't think he speaks English."Salut. Mon nom est April et c'est moi mari Jackson. Êtes-vous d'accord?" Jackson looked over at her. Shocked. She smiled. "I just told him who we were and asked if he was okay." She said casually.

The boy looked up at her but didn't respond, just kept crying. There was a large gash above his eyebrow and blood was pouring down his face.

Jackson looked back at April; he was shocked that nobody seemed to be paying attention to the injured child. "We should take him to the hospital," he told her.

"Let me get a pulse." April put two fingers on his neck and counted. "115 Beats per minute. He's got tachycardia. We need to get him there now!"

"I'll call for an ambulance," Jackson told her as he pulled out his phone. He watched April look after the boy as he dialed 112 and asked for an ambulance. "They're coming," he told April.

"How can anyone just leave a child out here in this condition?!" April put her palms on top of each other and placed them on his eyebrow to control the bleeding.

* * *

Jackson walked back from the desk to the waiting room where April was, "they are stitching him up as we speak. They're still trying to figure out who he is, he hasn't said anything," Jackson told her as he sat down as well.

"Jackson he's a minor. He's probably going to be admitted because of all of the unknown cause for all the bruising. Who's going to stay with him?"

"We can stay with him while we're in Paris. Hopefully by the time we go back they'll have found whoever is in charge of looking after him," Jackson told April as he put his arm around her.

"I know this isn't the honeymoon you were hoping for babe. I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow once we find more answers you and can sneak away for a bit huh?" She snuggled next to him.

"That would be great," he told her. "I just hope they find his parents soon." Just as he said that he noticed a doctor walking towards them.

The doctor knew that they were there for the boy since he had seen when they brought him in, "I'm Dr. Laurent. Do you speak English?" He asked them with a thick French accent.

Jackson and April both nodded, "is he okay?" Jackson asked.

The doctor smiled at them, "he is going to be fine. We stitched up the cut in his forehead, he has some bruises but it's nothing he won't recover from." He told them.

"Do you know who he is yet?" April asked him, hoping they would find his parents soon.

"His name is Finnley Moreau. He is an orphan currently living with foster parents waiting to be adopted; they took him down to a playground this afternoon and lost him there. They are on their way here to pick him up," Dr. Laurent explained to them.

"Can we see him? You know at least say hi or something?" April asked as she clung to Jackson's arm.

"The foster parents aren't here yet so I don't see why not," Dr. Laurent told them and April and Jackson followed him to one of the rooms.

April walked in first and smiled slightly. She wondered if he remembered them: "Bonjour miel. Rappelez-nous? [_Hello sweetie. Do you remember us?_]

Jackson walked in after April and saw the boy nod, still not saying anything.

April frowned a little bit but was determined to try again. "Can you speak English Finnley?" She persisted.

Finnley cleared his throat, "little bit," he told her softly.

"Good. How are you feeling?" She continued.

"Feel okay," he told her as he sat up a little, it seemed like he was glad to be talking.

Just April was about to respond, a tall gray haired man and a short brunette woman walked into the room. They didn't seem pleased.

Jackson watched as the couple started talking to Finnley in French, speaking so fast that it seemed to overwhelm him a bit. Jackson glanced over at April, wondering if she understood what the man and woman were saying.

"They're asking him why he ran away. They are pretty mad. I thought the doctor said they lost him." April told Jackson.

Jackson watched Finnley curl up into a ball, not answering the couple. "I thought so too," he told April. It wasn't until he said that that the couple noticed they were in the room.

"Qui êtes-vous?" The woman asked them. [_Who are you?_]

"Salut. Je suis April Kepner-Avery et c'est mon mari Jackson. Nous sommes les Américains qui a retenu votre fils ici. Nous sommes aussi des médecins." [_Hello. I am April Kepner-Avery and this is my husband Jackson. We are Americans and we are the ones who found your son. We're doctors too._]

The woman looked at her arrogantly, "bien pour vous. Nous pouvons prendre soin de lui maintenant, vous pouvez laisser," she said before turning back to Finnley, clearly expecting Jackson and April to simply leave. [_Good for you. We can take care of him now, you can leave._]

Jackson looked at April with a frown, "what's going on?" He asked her.

She wants us to leave. "Madame, nous ne voulions pas vous vexer. Nous voulions juste vous assurer que votre fils allait bien." [_Ma'am, we did not mean to upset you. We just wanted to make sure your son was okay_.]

Jackson took a step closer to April, "we can't just leave him with those people," he told her quietly. He noticed what the woman was talking to Finnley again but he only seemed to have attention for April and Jackson.

"I agree but what can we do? They're his foster parents and we are foreigners."

Jackson let out a sigh, "there has to be something we can do," he told her. "Who's to say they didn't cause those bruises."

"Can we stay at a hotel near the hospital and come back tomorrow! Maybe that will help us keep an eye on him?"

Jackson nodded in agreement, "that's the only thing we can do right now. I'll go ask Dr. Laurent how long he has to stay here."

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

"Dr. Laurent thinks he'll have to stay another two days. He has a slight concussion," Jackson told April as he sat down next to her in the waiting room.

"Two days isn't that long J. What's he going to do after that? Does the doctor really think he won't be hurt again?" April asked.

"He's apparently trying to get in touch with social services to see if they can do anything, but they're swamped," Jackson told her. "Either way, Finnley still isn't talking."

April didn't know why she was suddenly drawn to this boy she'd just met. All she knew was that she wanted to help him. "Forget the hotel I want to stay here tonight."

Jackson smiled at her, glad she had suggested the idea. If she hadn't he would have. He could see she was tired and didn't know if it was the right moment to bring it up but he had to know what she was thinking. "Honey, what are we going to do if they aren't able to put him in anther foster home? What if they can't find a safe place for him?" He asked her.

"First we have to get him to talk. I'm just not sure how we are going to do that."

"He seems to respond pretty well to you," Jackson said. "As long as those foster parents aren't in there with him I think we can get him to talk." He didn't think it would be too difficult to get them away from him - they didn't seem that concerned with his well being as long as he stuck to their rules.

"Babe I don't want to do anything that you're not okay with. I'll continue to try to get him to talk but first I have to know if you're okay with this. We're a team. Tell me you're okay with this."

"Trust me; I'm okay with this," he told her. "I'm just worried he'll grow up to be another person traumatized by foster care. Too many kids move from foster home to foster home, each one worse than the last. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, much less him."

"J I love more than anyone else in the world. You know that right?" April collapsed into his arms and buried her face in his chest. They were going to save this little boy no matter what it took.

Jackson couldn't help but smile at those words, "I love you too," he said.

* * *

"I still don't get why they wanted us to leave. He's just a kid. I know I'd be scared if I were being interrogated by a social worker. I would want someone there with me." April plopped down on the hotel bed defeated.

"We'll just go back as soon as they're finished. Hopefully Finnley will feel safe enough to open up to that social worker," Jackson told her before sitting down next to her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I just hate waiting and being distracted by this. I feel like I've ruined our honeymoon for you. Here you are being so kind and so gracious. And all I can do is sit here and let my heart get involved with someone I don't even know."

"Honey, you're not ruining anything. Things happen for a reason and I'm sure there's a good reason why our paths crossed with Finnley's, even if we don't know why right now."

April smiled. "You know, since we don't know when the hospital is going to call; we could take advantage of this opportunity." April began kissing Jackson's ear.

Jackson smiled, "that'd be nice," he told her before kissing her on the lips.

Just as April was unbuttoning his shirt, the phone rang. April immediately stopped and lunged for the phone.

* * *

"She hasn't finished the interview with him yet, he refuses to talk. I've seen him talk to you so I figured that maybe with you in the room he might be willing to tell her something," Dr. Laurent told April as they walked over to Finnley's hospital room. Jackson was following them.

"That's no problem. Hopefully I can make a difference." April walked into the room and smiled. "Hi Finnley." She greeted him sweetly.

Finnley looked over at her; a happy look crossed his face. He sat up a little straighter as he diverted his attention from the social worker to April.

"Excuse me, who are you?" The social worker, Jeanne, asked April as she stood up.

"Um I'm the person who brought him in. I'm also an American doctor. I'm April and this is my husband Jackson," April grabbed Jackson's hand. "We are just here for moral support."

This seemed to calm Jeanne down a bit, the alarmed look disappearing from her face. "Okay," she said as she sat back down. "I haven't been able to get him to talk; do you know what might help?" She asked.

April walked over to Finnley. She handed him a necklace; it was a teddy bear wearing a beret hanging from a black string.

Finnley looked at her surprised as he took it from her, "for me?" He asked her with tears in his eyes.

Jeanne looked back and forth between April and Finnley, she could see they had already developed a close bond.

"Yes for you. You were such a brave boy yesterday. This is your bravery medal." Before she could say anything else she felt him wrap is arms around her waist.

Finnley didn't want to ever let her go. He looked up at her, his head still buried in her chest, "don't make me go back to Mr. and Mrs. Denau," he begged her.

April could feel her heart melt. It took all her strength to keep from crying. "We won't but you have to talk to us and tell us what they did."

Finnley hesitated as his lower lip quivered, "can't tell," he told her as he pulled away and curled up into a ball.

"Why not? Why can't you tell? What will happen if you do?" April asked, her voice shaking.

"Bad things happen," he told her, wrapping his arms around his shins.

Jeanne looked on slightly fascinated, she hadn't been able to get him to say a word.

April looked at Jackson unsure of what to do. She was becoming more terrified with each passing moment.

* * *

"Thank you so much for coming," Jeanne told April. "I would've never been able to get that much information out of him."

"No problem; we deal with kids all the time. Don't we babe?" April looked over at Jackson.

"Yeah..." he began but hesitating to continue.

April could tell Jackson was uncomfortable. "Could you excuse us for a minute?" April motioned for Jackson to come with her.

Jackson followed her and as soon as they were out of earshot for Jeanne he turned to her. "I know we've treated lots of kids before, but anyone can see the bond you've already created with him." He told her.

"What's wrong with that? I like him. Is that bad?"

"No it's not bad," Jackson quickly reassured her. "We just need to figure out what we're doing here. He's becoming really attached to you but when we go back home... What will happen then? He's already been hurt so many times..."

"Well maybe we should take him with us." April said this without thinking. She could tell Jackson was heavily caught off guard by that.

Jackson stared at her with his jaw dropped; he had no idea what to say. "I... What?!"

April hesitated "I mean... We could let him stay with us... Find him a good American foster home it wouldn't be permanent." April felt as if she was lying to herself but she knew that was the practical way to think.

Jackson swallowed hard, "the way you say that makes me believe that you would want it to be permanent." He told her.

"Jackson I just want him to have a good home. Would it be such a bad thing if we did adopt him?"

"Are you seriously thinking about this?" He asked her in slight disbelief. "I want him to have a good home too but we've known him for barely two days! We can't just take him home and raise him as our son, it doesn't work like that."

"It can. We can get him treated, sign up to be foster parents. Shepherd and Grey-" Jackson stopped her mid sentence.

"Zola was already in America when they decided to adopt him. Finnley lives here in France, barely speaks English," Jackson told her. "And, and..."

"And you don't want to adopt with me! Is that it?! Tell me that's it!"

"It's not that I don't want to adopt with you. I just think that you're really upset we can't have a baby together and don't know what to do with all these maternal feelings and now you're projecting them into Finnley," he told her knowing he was way out of line.

"Jackson go home! If you don't want to be here go home. Finnley doesn't need you and I don't need you. Just go home to your mother!"

"Honey, don't-" he began but she interrupted him.

"Go Avery, if you're not a 100% with me then I don't want you with me at all!"

* * *

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